LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

Chap. Copyrio'ht M, 

Shelf ._j_]5_£- S 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



\ 



Fresh Bait for 
fishers of men. 



BY 



Louis Albert Banks, 



Author of "Anecdotes and Morals," "David and His Friends," etc. 



CONTAINING SIX HUNDRED APT AND ATTRACTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 

FROM CURRENT EVENTS; SUITABLE FOR SERMONS, 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL LESSONS OR YOUNG 

PEOPLES' MEETING TOPICS. 



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" Fresh Bait for Fishers of Men" is an exceedingly useful book for ministers, Sunday 
School teachers, and members of Christian Endeavor Societies, Epworth Leagues, and other 
young people societies, but it is none the less interesting to those who like to pick up a book 
at odd moments. 

The six hundred illustrations contained are drawn from every day incidents, each accom- 
panied by a clear and forceful character lesson. Every anecdote has its moral drawn, and by 
a man who knows men. They go like arrows to the mark. Events which have occurred dur- 
ing the past few months have been ingeniously written into interesting little stories embrac- 
ing truths which are sure to prove more attractive than mere platitudes. 

The value of a book like " Fresh Bait for Fishers of Men" depends largely on its in- 
dexes, so that you can find exactly what you want. It is carefully indexed according to sub- 
ject, and then according to Scripture texts to which the illustration applies, in the order of the 
books of the Bible. In another index the Scripture texts are arranged according to the num- 
bers of the illustration?. 

Special indexes are arranged for the use of Sunday-School lessons and for Christian En- 
deavor and Epworth League and other Young People's Society topics for the coming year. 
These special indexes will be found very valuable to the Sunday School teachers and mem- 
bers of the societies mentioned, as a means of increasing the interest in these great organiza- 
tions, which wield such a power for good, but are apt to get into ruts and lose interest for 
scholars and members. Brighten them up with a story every week from " Fresh Bait for 
Fishers of Men." 



The Publisher. 



IS 



•v> 



I 
1^ 



INDEX. 



jAbundance, 40. 
5 Abuse, 153. 
.Address, 246. 
Adornment instead 

of Graces, 320. 
Advertising, 126. 
Advice, 176. 
Affection of Ani- 
mals, 363. 
Ages, eternal the 

same, 336. 
Aggressiveness, 370. 
Aimless, 208. 
Aims, careful, 501. 
Alcohol, 80 
All things yours, 

349 
Alone, 256. 
Alone, sowing, 560. 
Altruism, 168. 
Ambassador, 91. 
Anchored, 89. 
Anchored to God, 

344. 
Angels, Three, 250. 
Anger, 13. 
Anger, 197. 
Annoyances, 122. 
Answer soft, 358. 
Anxiety, 505. 
Appeals to fear, 

503. 
Appearances, 65, 

243. 
Appearance, 239. 
Appreciation, 86, 

251, 319. 
Archer, great the, 

533. 
Arcturus, 352. 
Art to Invention, 

247. 
Athletics, 55. 
Athletics, 142. 
Aurora, 92. 
Avarice, 485. 
Backslider, 67, 78, 

215. 
Barb-wire, 95. 
Barren, 519. 
Bats, 72. 

Beauty, 48, 179, 183. 
Beauty, Frailty of, 

242. 
Beauty of Heart, 

242. 
Bees, 76. 

Beggars - hypo- 
critical, 384. 
Benefactors, 251. 
Beverage, 270. 
Bible, 572. 
Bible, a treasure 

house, 391. 
Bible, gold in, 306. 
Bible literature, 544. 



Bible's Power, 435. 

Bible, treasures of 
old and new, 369. 

Birds, 94, 117. 

Birds, wise, 540. 

Birth and Death, 

Blessing, pest turn- 
ed to, 345. 

Blood, 222. 

Boers, 206. 

Brakeman, 57. 

Brave, 159. 

Bravery, 156. 

Brave, yet gentle, 
226. 

Bread of Life, 213. 
279. 

Bread, The Living 
417. 

Bridge, 177. 

Brotherhood, 118, 
147, 159. 

Brotherhood, Hu- 
man, 405. 

Burden. 134. 

Cable, 113. 

Calmness, 232. 

Calming the Tem- 
pest, 401. 

Cannon, spiked, 67. 

Care, 46, 505. 

Carelessness, 36. 

Castles, air, 583. 

Centipedes, politic- 
al, 5S5. 

Century, 282. 

Change, 233. 

Change, rapid, 271. 

Character, 4, 17, 38, 
114, 174, 222, 283, 
538. 

Character, firm- 
ness of, 403. 

Cheerfulness, 59, 
130, 231, 439. 

Child, 136, 219. 

Childhood, 229. 

Child, Protection, 
244. 

Child adrift, 515. 

Children, 3, 32. 

Choose, whom you 
serve, 330. 

Christ, 111, 114, 1.%. 

Christ, all in all, 
592. 

Christ, Confuciufl, 
461. 

Christ, copying, 

566. 

Christ, ever living 
the, 545. 

Christ. Key to Mu- 
sic, 268. 

Christ, Messengers, 
561. 



Christ, sets free, 
322. 

Christ, Sun of 
Righteousness, 339 

Christ's work, 451. 

Christian, 245. 

Christianity's influ- 
ence, 360. 

Christians, 27, 48. 

Christians frivol- 
ous, 506. 

Christians, Hidden, 
215. 

Christmas, 171. 

Christmas, every 
day, 340. 

Church, 1. 

Church, shooting 
in, 512. 

Cigarettes, 142. 

City, taketh a, 311. 

City's true great- 
ness, 410. 

Civilization, 451, 

Cleanliness and 

health, 371. 

Cloak, 100. 

Cold, 214. 

Comfort, growth 
208, 209. 

Comfort, refused, 
597. 

Comforteth, 240. 

Command, 204. 

Command, Christ's, 
287. 

Commands. 79. 

Conduct, 116, 222. 

Contrary, 146. 

Conserve, 207. 

Consideration, 204. 

Converts eloquence, 
438. 

Convictions, 238. 

Country, for, 543. 

Country, Our, 18. 

Courage, 16, 141, 221, 
249, 265, 469, 528. 

Courtesy, 11, 33. 

Courtesy, value of, 
546. 

Cowardice, result 
of, 291. 

Cross, 156. 

Crown, 191. 

Crowning day, 482. 

Cruel, 219. 

Cruelty, 10. 

Cure for ein. 489. 

Cynicism rebuked, 
386. 

Dance, Sin, 591. 

Danger, 184, 463. 

Danger Unseen, 280. 

Darkness, 172. 

Day's service, 498. 



Day,' awaiting for, 

554. 
Death, 37. 
Death, Silence, 295. 
Death, spiritual, 

359. 
Debtors, 188. 
Deed, 255. 
Deeds, 6. 

Deeds, gentle, 571. 
Defense, 235. 
Destruction, 197. 
Devil's chain, 452. 
Devil's eclipse 

trains, 411. 
Devotion, 227. 
Dewey, 101. 
Died to save, 316. 
Discipline, 45. 
Discipline, neces- 
sary, 315. 
Dishonor, 83, 106. 
Display, 105. 
Door, 282. 
Dorcas, 570. 
Doubt, 28, 46, 50, 379, 

446. 
Dov/nward, 216. 
Dress, American, 

308. 
Dreyfus, 264. 
Drifting, 78, 212. 
Drink, 115. 
Drink's curses, 415. 
Drunkard's Fall, 

277. 
Drunkenness, 163; 

245. 
Dual life, 72. 
Duty, 47, 261, 424, 
Duty, 564. 
Duty, each day's, 

426. 
Duty, present fu- 

iture privilege, 398. 
Duty, today's, 383. 

455. 
Eagle, 136. 
Eagles of evil, 244. 
Eagle, spirit, 528. 
Ease, 218. 
Ease, lovers, of, 589. 
Fascination, 102. 
Effectiveness, 84. 
Encouragement, 28. 
Energy vs. talent, 

445. 
Entangled, 104. 
Envy, 218. 
Emotion, 228. 
Emptiness, 246. 
Error, 138. 
Evil, 35, 102, 117. 
Evil boundary line 

452. 
Example, 182. 



Examples, 54. 
Exercise, 237. 
Extravagance, 210. 
Eyes that see, 186. 
Face, 4. 
Failure, impossible, 

287. 
Faith, 28, 46, 50 59, 

128, 377. 
Faith, Christian 

transforms, 391. 
Faithful, 105. 
Faithfulness, 220, 

238. 
Failure, glory in, 

576. 
Fame, 62. 

Fame, flight of, 480. 
Fame, temple of, 

296. 
Family, 464. 
Fashion, 210. 
Father, 32. 
Fear, 178, 221. 
Fear and laziness, 

508. 
Fellowship, 162. 
Fence Living, 235. 
Fig-ht, good fight, 

462. 
Fire, 152. 

Fire, pillar of, 289. 
Flag, 472. 
Flags, 536. . 
Flesh and spirit, 71. 
Flowers, 60. 
Flower destroyer, 

453. 
Flowers, in church, 

586. 
Flying, 137. 
Folly, 182. 
Football. 55, 15'' 
Forgetfulness, 598. 
Forgetting, 456. 
Forgiveness, 188,. 
Fragrance, Age, 

587. 
Friend, 20, 36. 
Friend, ever Pres- 
ent, 236. 
Friend's comfort of 

389. 
Friendship, HO. 
Fruit in old age,. 

350. 
Gamibling, 166. 
Gambling, 520. 
Genius, 194. 
Genius Spiritual, 

230. 
Gentleness, 96, 454. 
Gem, hidden, 534. 
Gift precious, o2o.- 
Glitter, 213. 
God, 34, 278. 



INDEX. 



Ood's care, faith \n. 

390. 
God. Fatherhood <>1 

.the, 548. 
'Godj knoweth best. 

441. 
G-o d ' 3 m n i scI ence . 

317. 
God's voice, 81. 
God's word eternal, 

368. 
Godliness not In 

miserv, 340. 
Gold, 149. 
Gold ballast, 174. 
Gold mine, 61. 
Gold, that perishes, 

323. 
Gold, True, 223. 
Good and bad, 550. 
Good evil spoken 

of, 239. 
Good gathered afar. 

248. 
Goodness, 14. 
Good works, 158. 
Gospel, 1S9. 
Gossip, deadly, 512. 
Gough, John B., 

277. 
Gould, Helen, 141, 

70. 
Grace, 133. 
Graces, 504. 
Grace in hO'me of 

poor, 343. 
Gratitude, 404. 
Grief, 133. 
Growth, 218. 
Growth of 60ul, 205. 
Growth, smoking 

prevents, 312. 
Habit, 297. 
Habits, 579. 
Hahit, chains of, 

321. 
Harmony, 130. 
Harp, human the, 

542. 
Hatred, 475. 
Hearing-. 81. 
Heart, 26, 27, 39, 42, 

103, 222. 
Heart of Flesh, 209. 
Heart, open, 260. 
Heart, Stony, 209. 
Hearts, seeking for, 

305. 
Heart's door, 460. 
Heaven, 175. 
Heaven, heart fixed 

on. 346. 
Heaven, one's 

home, 428. 
Heavenly city, 466. 
Heavens, 170. 
Hell, present, 575. 
Help, 108, 125. 
Helpful, throug-h 

helpless, 325. 



Helpfulness, 15, 44. 
Helping others, 168. 
Helpless, 217. 
Help-meets, 264. 
fcieroism, 16, 165, 

406. 
Hero of Peace, 262. 
Heroes, everyday, 

310. 
Heroes of yester- 
day, 271. 
Heroes, who fail, 

547. 
Hero's weakness, 

335. 
Hills, joy of, 578. 
Holy, 262. 
Holy door, 2S2. 
Home, 175. 
Home associations, 

395. 
Home, the true, 420. 
Homes, two, 537. 
Humor, 231. 
ITomesickness, 231. 
Honey, 76". 
Honesty, 283. 
Honor, 83. 
Honor, appealed to, 

324. 
Hope, 107, 139, 145, 

190, 250, 458. 
Hope purifies, 361. 
Hopeless without 

Christ, 292. 
House, troubled, 

584. 
Humble, 517. 
Hypocrisy, 9, 19, 72, 

421. 
Hypocrite, 257. 
Ideals, 227. 
Ignorance, 178. 
Ignorant Rever- 
ence, 258. 
Image, 103. 
Imagination, 155, 

199. 
Imitation, 182. 
Immortal value of, 

479. 
Immortality, 288, 

471. 
Imorality, 167. 
Importunity, 169. 
Imprint, 120. 
Impulses, fresh, S80. 
Impurity, 199. 
In Christ, 234. 
Indecision, 52. 
Indications, 243. 
Industry, 97. 
Inexhaustible, 144. 
Infidels, 14, 37. 
Influence, 121, 200, 

327. 
Inheritance, 516. 
Inspiring. 156. 
Jesus, surrendering 

to, 565. 



Jewels, 151. 

Joy, murderers, 414. 

Joy of doing gooQ, 

448. 
Joyful, 1166. 
Judge not, 173, 484, 
Justice pays, 225. 
Key log, 513. 
Kindness, 11, 33, 150, 

256, 473. 
Kiss, unworthy, 241. 
Kitchener, 226. 
Knowledge, 19, 49. 
Latoor's song, 274. 
Liadder, heavenly 

the, 539. 
Lake of sulphuric 
Lamp, 289. 
Lawton, 265. 
Laziness, 218. 
Legend, Rose, 585. 
Lesson, costly, 276. 
Letter, dead, 211. 
Letter-spirit, 259. 
Liberty, joy of, 321. 
Liberty, missionary 

effort, 442. 
Life. 7. 17. 29, 41, 

177. 
Life, a genuine, 

563. 
Life, bread of, 511. 
Life, brevity, 541. 
L,nfe, consecrated, 

433. 
Life, empty, 230. 
Life endless, 49L 
Life-line, 190. 
Life, music of, 521. 
Life, new, 510. 
Life-race, 74. 
Life saved, lost, 

291. 
Life's milestones, 

216. 
Life's sweetness, 

499 
Light. 4, 112, 172. 
Light, cleansing, 

284 
Light, cure, 284. 
Light in Rome, 559. 
Lightship, 257. 
Living in gloom. 



Lord, 
Loss, 
Lost, 
Lost 
Lost, 

599. 
Lost 
Lost 
Lost 
Love, 
Love 

250, 
Love, 
Love, 

302. 



gain in, 492. 
160, 181. 
cars, 208. 
near house, 

river, 215. 
saving,, 457. 
sheep, 486. 

2, 12, 32, 131, 
degraded, 241. 
509. 

father's, 590. 

key to heart. 



Love, mighty, 535. 
Love, mother's, 5S0. 
Love, power, fa^me, 

468. 
Love, the crown, 

286. 
Loved and lost, 288. 

acid, 334. 
Loyalty, 423-447. 
Lying, 9. 
Madonnas, 179. 
Man, majesty of, 

352. 
Man or men, 11. 
Man with hoe, 272. 
Manhood, 105, 119. 
Manhood, burning- 

up, 402. 
Man's a man, 273. 

Motive, 255. 
Mastering, 101. 
Measure, 111. 
Men and apes, 432. 
Mercenary-un, 224. 
Mercies, God's new, 

318 
Merciless, 220. 
Mercy, 6, 201. 
Merit, rank of, 553. 
Mind, 117. 
Mind double, 52. 
Miracle, 564. 
Misplaced, 176. 
Missionary, 3. 
Modern, 158. 
Modesty, 64, 266. 
Mother, 12, 240. 
Mother, longing for 

child, 313. 
Mother, unnatural, 

219. 
Motherhood, 66. 
Mother's influence, 

297. 
Mother's sacrifice, 

425. 
Mohametan, 245. 
Music by insects, 

263. 
Music of city, 268. 
Name, value of, 331. 
Nakedness, 467. 
Nature's resources, 

328. 
Needs, 144. 
Neglected, 171. 
Ninety and nine, 

48b. 
Obey, 204. 
Ohedience, 393. 
Oil, 72. 

Oil on water, 90. 
Open to all, 282. 
Opportunity, 63, 109, 

366, 531. 
O'Rell, Max, 581. 

1170. 
Overcoming, 101, 

206, 221. 
Passing glory, 515. 



Passion for souls., 

247. 
Patience, 129. 250, 1 

483, 500. T*" 

Patriotism. 18. ' 

Patriotism, 472. 
Peace casteth out 

fear, 326. 
Peace, loving, 270. 
Peace only in Christ 

290. 
Peace, where is, 

353. 
Perception, spirit- 
ual, 374. 
Perseverence, 16. 
Perseverance, 151, 

293, 397. 
Persistence, 123. 
Personal Savior, 

449. 
Persuasion, 427. 
Philanthropy, 225. 
Pilgrims, 526. 
Pity, 124. 
Pity and justice, 

285. 
pfeasure, 115. 
Plough, 98. 
Pluck, 123. 
Poetry, of life, 183. 
Poison, 19, 252. 
Poor, 171, 225. 
Pope, 56. 
Poverty, 198. 
Power, 148, 208, 1220. 
Power, ocean, 278. 
Power of eye, 351. 
Prayer, 75, 113, 154, 

378, 407. 
Prayer, cure in, 

341. 
Prayer, dead, 211. 
Prayer. necessity 

of, 422. 
Prayer, not in vain, 

581. 
Precedent, 365. 
Precocity, 443. 
Preparation, 63. 207. 
Present, future, 

582. 
Presumption, 23. 
Pride humibled, 416. 
Prison flowers, 256. 
Prisoner, 217. 
Prisoners, hope's, 

588. 
Prisoners free, 32iJ. 
Professional spirit, 

it, 348. 
Progress, 507. 
Progress, pain of, 

577. 
Promptness, 372. 
Prosperity, 69. 
Prosperity, 149. 
Providence, 144. 
Public sentiment. 



INDEX 



improvement in, 

429. 
Punishment, 136. 
Purity, 42. 
Purity, 155. 
Purifying, 253. 
Purpose, 104, 107, 

157, 465. 
Purpose, Christians 

562. 
Purpose, great, 230. 
QuicliB'and, 77. 
Radience of purity, 

450. 
Reckless, 152. 
Reformers, 153. 
Refuge, city of, 234. 
Religion, 214. 
Remorse, 152. 
Reputation, 314. 
Rescue, 456. 
Resources, inex 

haustible, 537. 
Responsibility, 81. 
Resp'onsibilitiy for 

freedom, 502. 
Rest in Jesus, 490. 
Rest in the Lord, 

85. 
Resurrected, 223. 
Retribution, 399, 503. 
Revenge, 475. 
Revival, 214. 
Reward, 482, 514. 
Riches, 198, 213, 532. 
Riches, Ill-gotten, 

283 
Ridicule, 266. 
Right, 164. 
Right, settling 

things, 264. 
River, 233. 
Roberts, 236. 
Rose of Sharon, 412. 
Rot, 90. 
Ruling the heart, 

294. 
Ruts, 579. 
Sabbath-keeplin^g, 

238 
Sacrifice, 66, 247. 
Sacrifice for duty. 

298. 
Sad ne SIS, 249. 
Safety, 234. 
Safety, flying for, 

524. 
Saints, 158, 470. 
Saloon, a treacher- 
ous shoal, 387. 
Salvation, 21, 24, 

43, 50, 232, 235. 



Satan's slide, 299. 

Saved, 181. 

Saved as by fire, 

161. 
Sea, 278. 

Secret, Ijord's, 600. 
Self, 193. 

Self -composure, 2S2. 
Self-oontrol, 143, 459 
Selfishness, 25, 162, 
Selfishness, over- 
come, 307. 
Selfishness-un, 347. 
Self-knowledge, 293. 
Self-reliance, 329. 
Sense, 203. 
Sentiment, 224. 
Sierpent, 210, 252. 
Serpents, 52. 
Serve two ma&ters, 

342. 
Service, 6. 
Service and vision, 

496. 
Service, benefit 

wholehearted, 357. 
Service, Christ's, 

552. 
Service, ready for, 

573. 
S'heep, losit, 558. 
Shepherd, good, 220. 
Shepherd, good, 668. 
Sight and Faith, 

203. 
Silver, Lost. Sheep, 

lost. Son, lost. 

574. 
Simplicity, 58. 
Sin, 35, 77, 132, 145, 

142, 205, 259. 
Sin, dangerous, 376. 
Sin, destructive, 262. 
Sin, destructive- 

ness, 267. 
Sin-feeder, 275. 
Sin, pet, 196. 
Sin, serpent, 354. 
Sin. small, 262. 
Sin suffocates, 334. 
Sin, thistles, 523. 
Sinner, 217. 
Sin's infection, 479. 
Sins, petty, 202. 
Sins, scars of, 593. 
Sin's tracks every- 
where, 408. 
Singing, 140, 530. 
Skill, 440. 
Slander, 474. 
Sleep, spiritual, 477. 



Small things, day 

of, 436. 
Smell, 203. 
Smirch, 153. 
Smokeless powder, 

80. 
Smoking, 142. 
Sober heathen, 163. 
Sobriety, 245. 
Soldiers of Christ, 

315. 
Soldier of Peace, 

310. 
gong, in night, 594. 
Sorrow, 93. 
Soul and knowl- 
edge, 494. 
Boul-beau'ty, 179. 
Soul or Souls, 23. 
Soul, receptive, 549. 
Soul, shaping, 382. 
Soul's riches, 388. 
South Africa, 281. 
Spider's wisdom, 

337. 
Spirit adorned with. 

320. 
Spirit and'material- 

ism, 494. 
Spirit, the 148. 
Spirit-letter, 259. 
Spirit ruleth, 311. 
Spirit, taming the, 

303. 
Spirit's birth and 

death, 279. 
Spiritual, 159. 
Spiritual concep- 
tion confused, 409. 
Spirituial mark- 

manship, 501. 
Spiritualism, 20. 
Spurned, 51. 
Stammering, 53. 
Stars, 170, 192. 
Straight backed, 

237. 
Strength, earthly, 

555. 
Struggle, 218. 
Struggle, victory 

through, 437. 
Submerged, 532. 
Submission, token 

of, 413. 
Substitute, 476. 
Success as pleasure 

332. 
Success costs sac- 
rifice, 381. 
Sunshine after rain, 

419. 



Swallows, 72. 
Sweetness, 8, 73. 
Sword, 87. 
Sword, bitterness 

of, 294. 
Sword to Plough- 

shiare, 253. 
Sympathy, 5, 82, 304. 
Sy mp a thy u ni t e s , 

356. 
Tact, 373. 
Temper, 394, 453. 
Temperance, 69, 115, 

136, 155, 518, 540. 
Temp era nee in 

Paris, 338. 
Temptation, 102. 
Temptation, 463. 
Tenderness, God's, 

437. 
Thankful for im- 
provement, 329. 
Thankless, 66. 
Thanksgiving, 21, 

24, 57, 59, 60, 70, 73, 

85, 86. 
Theatre, 167. 
Thoughtless, 152. 
Thoughtlessness, 

454, 
Thoughtfulness, 88. 
Thought, fruition, 

367. 
Time, 187, 192. 
Treasure, 22, 43, 49. 
Toil, 57. 

Toil, Honest, 272. 
Toil, joy of, 273. 
Tongue, 487. 
Transgressor, 135. 
Transvaal, 207. 
Training, 206. 
Treasure, hidden, 

61. 
Treasure in heaven, 

497. 
Treasure, lost, 305. 
Tree, spiritual, 569. 
Trust, 139. 
Truth, 201. 
Triumph, Christ's, 

556. 
Triumphant, in de- 
feat, 596. 
Unfairness, 99. 
Unity, 44. 
Unknown, 51. 
Unselfishness, 2, 30. 
Upward, 205, 216. 
Valiue, Intrinsic, 

223. 
Value, joy, 224. 



Value, money, 224. 
Victory, hollow, 

226. 
Vision in service, 

496. 
Vulture, Sinner's, 

557. 
Vultures of sin, 295. 
War, 207, 529. 
War 'a wreckage, 

253. 
Ward, 289. 
Warning, 257. 
Waiting, 588. 
Wandering, 208. 
Waste, 22. 
Wastepower, 148. 
Watchfulness, 481. 
Water of Life, 108. 

375, 431. 
Water, well of, 493. 
Way, 164. 
Way of sin, 299. 
Weakness of a 

'hero, 335. 
Weavers, 155. 
Weight of sin, 300. 
Whiskey, 252. 
Whiskey, infamoxjus, 

275. 
Will, 31, 34. 
Will power, 364. 
Wind, 13. 
Wireless, 154, 
Wisdom, 19, 49 
Wisdom of insects, 

337. 
Wives, 254. 
Women in politios, 

430. 
Wo:f in man, tam- 
ing, 567. 
Wounded, 68. 
World growing 

wiser, 269. 
World without 

Christ, 281. 
Worldliness, 1, 8, 47, 

71, 75, 215, 280. 
Worldly pleasures 

insufficient, 355. 
Worth, 65. 
Worries, 122. 
Worthless glitter, 

213. 
Wrecks, 79, 119. 
Wreck, 138. 
Weighed, 180. 
Wrong, 246. 
Yacht race, 74. 
Youth, charm of, 

444. 



INDEX, 



Consecutive by Illustration Numbers. 



1. John 17, 16 and 
25. 

2. John 15, 13. 
Rom. 5, 10. 

3. Acts 17, 26. 

4. Matt. 5, 16. 

5. Matt. 25, 34. 

6. Matt. 10, 42. 

7. Luke 15, 47. 

8. Psalms 19, 10. 
10. Rom. 5, 8. 

Rom. 10. 9. 
Phil. 2, 9. 

13. Rom. 12, 19. 

14. Phil. 3, 13. 

1.6 John 3, 14. 

Keb. 4, 15. 
17. John 3, 14. 

19. Neh. 13, 15. 

20. Matt. 13, 83. 
Eph. 5, 11. 

21. 1 Thess. 1, 10. 

22. Matt. 12, 36. 

23. 1 Cor. 10, 12. 

24. Matt. 13, 45. 

25. R'om. 14, 7. 
27. Rom. 10, 9. 

50. 1 Peter 3, 8. 

31. John 1, 12. 

32. Psalms 103, 13. 

53. Matt. 10, 8. 

54. I Peter 1, 4. 
g6. Gen. 25, 34. 
S7. 2 Cor. 5, 1. 
39. Luke 4, 18. 

43. Zech. 14, 20. 

44. Lev. 26, 8. 

45. Eph. 6, 11. 

46. I Peter 5, 7. 
49. Prov. 3, 21. 

51. Matt. 25, 44. 
HeTD. 13, 2. 

62. Luke 16, 13, 
Jamee 1, 8. 

53. 1 Peter 1, 17. 

54. John 13. 15. 
2 Cor. 5, 20. 

55. Rom. 12, 21. 

56. Matt. 6, 6. 

57. Psalms 126, 6. 
Rom. 12, 12. 

58. Gen. 18, 22. 

59. Psalms 55. 22. 

60. Phill. 4, 18. 

62. Isaiah 56, 5. 

63. Job 11, 13. 
Prov. 24, 27. 

64. 1 Sam. 16, 7. 

65. Matt. 7, 1. 

66. Luke 12, 53. 

67. Jeremiah 3, 14. 

68. Psalms 147, 3. 
69. Luke 12, 31. 

70. Rom. 12, 1. 

71. 1 John 5. 4. 

72. 2 Thess. 2. 8. 

74. Heb. 12, 1. 

75. Psalms 85, 6. 



76. Prov. 16, 24. 

77. Isaiah 9, 16. 
79. Jamee 5, 20. 

81. Deut. 11, 13. 

1 Sam. 3, 9. 

82. Psalms 27, 10. 

83. Matt. 25, 12. 

85. Psalms 37, 40. 

86. 3 Joihn 10. 
Psalmis 51, 10. 
Psalms 9, 1. 

87. Eph. 6, 17. 
90. Prov. 15, 1. 

92. John 1, 9. 

93. Lam. 3, 27. 

94. John 17, 15. 

95. Matt. 26, 41. 

96. Gen. 1, 28. 

100. Rev. 7, 9. 

101. 1 Cor. 16, 13. 

102. Matt. 6, 13. 
Luke 11, 4. 
Heb. 1, 13. 

2 Cor. 10, 7. 

103. Matt. 22, 20. 

104. Prov. 23, 32. 

105. Dan. 5, 2. 

106. 1 Tim. 5, 13. 

107. Psalms 32, 8. 

108. 1 Cor. 1, 27. 

109. John 14, 2. 

110. Heb. 13, 5. 

111. Eph. 4, 13. 

112. Isa. 58, 8. John 
1, 9. 

113. 1 Sam. 3, 10. 
John 5, 24. 

114. Phil. 2, IB. 
M-att. 5, 16. 

115. Rev. 11, 7. 

116. 2 Tim. 2, 1. 

117. 2 Cor. 10. 5. 
Eph. 5, 18. Rev. 
15, 1. 

118. Heb. 4, 15-16. 

119. 2 These. 2, 8. 
1 Peter 5, 8. 

121. Prov. 12, 20. 
Matt. 15, 19. 

122. Sol. 2, 15. 

123. Matt. 7, 8. 
Luke 11, 10. 

124. I Peter 3, 8. 
12G. Luke 4, 42. 
127. Rom. 8, 26. 

129. Luke 8, 15. 

130. John 17, 23. 

131. Luke 12, 15. 

132. 2 Tim. 2, 17. 

134. Luke 15, 31. 

135. Jer. 17, 11. 

136. Prov. 23, 5. 

137. Isa. 40, 31. 

139. Psalms 141, b. 
1 Cor. 3. 4. 

140. Job 29, 13. 

142. Ezek. 7, 13. 
Mark 12, 30. 



143. Job 34, 29. 

1 Peter 3, 4. 

144. Phil. 4, 19. 

145. 1 John 5, 19. 

147. 1 Thess. 5, 14. 

148. Acts 1, 8. 

150. Matt. 25, 34-5. 

151. Rev. 21, 19. Isa. 
54, 11, 13. 

152. 1 Cor. 3, lb. 
Heb. 11, 34. 

2 Pet. 3, 12. 
James 3, 5-6. 

153. Isa. 57, 20. 
John 3, 19. 
John 8, 59. 

154. 1 John 5, 15. 

155. 2 Cor. 10, 5. 

156. Isa. 25, 8. 

157. Num. 23, 21. 

158. Acts 10. 38. 

159. Col. 2, 2. 

160. Prov. 1. S3. 
Hosea 2, 18. 

162. Luke 8, 37. 

163. Rom. 10, 19. 
Rom. 2, 14-15. , 

164. Matt. 7, 13-14./ 

165. Psalm 90, 12. 

166. Rom. 14, 15. 

167. 1 Thess. 5, 22. 

169. Deut. 32, 13. 

170. 2 Peter 3, 10. 

171. Isa. 58. 7. 

2 Cor. 8, 9. 
James 2, 5. 

172. John 11, 10. 
Eph. 5, 8. 

173. Rom. 2, 16. 

174. Psalm 119, 11. 

175. Heb. 13, 14. 

176. Psalm 32, 8. 

179. Psalm 3, 3. 

180. Zech. 11, 12. 
Dian. 5, 27. 

181. Heto. 7, 25. 

182. 1 Pet. 2. 21. 
Heb. 4, 11. 

184. Matt. 7, 13. 

185. Acts 10, 35. 

186. Eph. 1, 18. John 
9, 6. 

187. Prov. 14, 29. 

188. Matt. 6, 12. 

189. Ezek. 3, 18. 

191. 2 Tim. 4, 8. 

192. Dan. 12, 3. Jude 
13. 

193. Heb. 12, 2. 

194. Phil. 2, 9-10. 

196. Num. 32, 23. 

197. Prov. 11, 3. 

198. Prov. 22, 4. 
Psalm 39, 6. 

199. Rev. 7, 17. 

200. Matt. 18, 6. 
Mark 9, 42. 
Luke 17, 2. 

8 



201. Prov. 3, 3. Eph. 
5, 9. Prov. St, 

10. 

202. 1 Cor. 15, 56. 
Heb. 3, 13. 

203. John 3, 19-20. 
Rev. 3, 17. 

204. Heb. 11, 6. 
Rom. 5. 19. 
Rom. 6, 17. 

205. Isa. 26. 7. 
Psalm 37, 18. 

206. Dan. 9, 22. 
2 Cor. 4, 2. 

207. Luke 3, 4. 
Luke 12, 40. 

208. Jude 13. 

209. Eph. 4, 18. 
Rom. 2, 5. 
Mark 10, 5. 

210. 1 Cor. 10, 9. 
Realm 140, 3. 

211. Psalm 10, 17. 

1 Sam. 1, 15. 
Isa. 58, 9. 

212. Isa. 57, 20. 

213. Ezek, 21, 28. 
Matt. 7, 9. 

214. Psalm 51. 2. 

2 Tim. 3, 17. 

215. Psalm 63, 1. 
Is<a. 35, 7. 

216. Isa. 63, 4. Heb. 
11, 24. 

217. Isa. 61, 1. 

218. Amos. 6, 1. 
Prov. 1, 32. 
Isa. 32, 9. 

219. Psalm 27, 10. 
Psalm 35, 14. 

220. Luke 15, 2-7. 
Jer. 23, 4. Heb. 
13, 20. John 
10, 14. 

221. John 9, 22. 
Prov. 23. 1. 
John 14, 27. 

222. Jer. 13, 23. 2 
Cor. 5, 17. Eph. 
2, 10. 

223. 1 Cor. 3. 12. 1 
Pet. 1, 7. Job 
23, 10. 

224. Eccl. 7, 12. Isa 
61, 3. 

225. 1 Sam. 2, 7. 
Prov. 2S, 21. 
Psalm 9, 18. 

1 John 3. 17. 

226. Prov. 3, 3. 
Luke 10, 37. 
Prov. 20. 28. 
Jas. 2, 13. 

227. 1 Cor. 6, 20. 
Mark 8, 34 
Matt. 19, 21. 

229. 1 Sam. 1, 24. 
Deut. 31, 12-13. 



230. Phil. 3, 13. 

231. Isa. 56, 7. Luke 
6, 23. 

232. 2 Chron. 20, 17. 

233. Eph. 5, 26. 

1 John 1, 7. 

234. Jer. 8. 14. 

2 Chron. 11, 15. 

235. Isa. 26, 1. 
Zech. 2, 5. 

236. Isa. 11. 5. 

1 Tim. 2, 5. 
John 10, 14. 

237. Acts 24, 16. 

238. Isa. 56, 2-6. Isa 
58, 13. 

239. 1 Thess. 5, 22. 

2 Peter 2, 2. 

240. Isa. 66, 13. 

241. Luke 22, 47. 

242. Prov. 4, 23. 

243. John 7, 24. 
2 Sam. 6, 17. 

244. Eph. 6, 4. 
Luke 1, 13. 

245. Tit. 2, 11-12. 

1 Peter 5, 8. 

246. Prov. 14, 12. 

247. Rom. 12, 1. 
Phil. 2, 17. 

248. Psalm 103, B. 
Deut. 32, n. 

250. 1 Cor. 15, 19. 

251. Psalme 32, 8. 

252. Prov. 20, 1. 

253. Lev. 26, 6. 

254. Gen. 2, la. 
Eph. 5, 32. 

255. Col. 3, 17. 
Rom. 8, 13. 

266. Mark 9, 41. 
Rom. 12, 10. 
Matt. 25, 36. 

257. Neh. 9, 12. 

258. Prov. 14, 12. 

259. 1 John 4. 6. 

260. Ezek. 26, 36. 

2 Thess. 3, 5. 

262. I Tim. 5. 24. 

263. iSol. 2, 12. 

264. Luke 12, 36. 
Psalm 25, 5. 

265. I Sam. 1, 24. 

266. James 2, 2. 

267. Heb. 3, 13. 

268. Heb. 1, 3. 

269. Isa. 11, 9. 

270. Rom. 12, 18. 

271. Psalm 31, 12. 
2 Cor. 6, 2. 

272. Gen. 3, 19. Gen. 
49. 24. 

273. I Thess. 4, 11. 

274. Col. 3, 23. 

275. Hos. 4, 11. 
Luke 21. 34. 

276. Matt. 17, 6. 

277. Isa. 5, 12. Gal. 



INDEX. 



5. 2L 

278. Isa. 63. 3. 

2 Thess. 1, 9. 

279. 2 Cor. 5, 1. 

280. Jer. 8, 5. 
2S1. Rom. 9, 5. 

282. Rev. 3, 20. 

283. Rom. 14, 22. 

284. 1 John 1. 7. 

285. Lam. 3. 23. 

286. 1 Cor. 13, 1. 

287. Heb. 11, 6. 

288. Job. 19, 26. 

289. Psalm 119. 

290. Mai. 3, 16. 

291. Rev. 21, 8. 

292. Heb. 7. 19, 
1 Cor. 15, 19. 

293. Hos. 12. 8. 

294. Matt. 10, 34. 

295. John 9, 4. 

296. Rev. 2, 17. 

297. Ezek. 20, 18. 

298. Rom. 15, 16. 
Luke 14, 33. 

299. Luke 10, 18. 
SOI. 1 Cor. 13, 5. 

302. Psalm 2, 12. 

303. James 3, 5-6, 

304. Matt. 23, 37. 

305. 2 Chr. 12, 14. 

306. Psalm 119, 

307. 2 Peter 1, 3. 

308. Matt. 22, 11. 

309. Psalm 65, 11. 
Luke 12, 31. 

310. Eccl. 9, 10. 
Eph. 6, 6. 

311. Prov. 16, 32. 

312. Luke 1, 80. 

313. Mai. 3, 17. 

314. Rev. 3, 1. 

315. Heb. 12, L 

316. Rom. 5. 6. 

320. Luke 8, 21. 

321. 2 Peter 2, 4. 

322. Psalm 40, 17. 

323. Rom. 11, 26. 
1 Peter 1, 7. 

324. Psalm 2«, 8. 

325. Psalm 10, 14. 

326. 1 John 4, 18. 

327. Prov. 22, 6. 
329. Heb. 6, 12. 

331. Prov. 22, 1. 

332. Heb. 11, 25. 

334. Rev. 21, 8. 

335. Heb. 11, 34. 
337. Prov. 30, 26. 

339. Mai. 4, 2. 

340. Isa. 64, 6. Gal. 
2, 16. 

341. Psalm 19. 14. 

342. Matt. 6, 24. 

343. Isa. 55, 1. 

344. Psalm 62. 2. 
Acts 20, 24. 

345. Jer. 31, 13. 

346. Eph. 3, 17, 18, 
19. 

347. Rom. 5, 7. 

348. Matt. 6, 7. 



349. 1 Oor. 3, 21. 

350. Psalm 92, 14. 

351. Ecc. 2, 14. 

352. Gen. 1, 26-27. 

353. Isa. 26, 3. 

354. Matt. 2, 22. 

355. Psalm 6, 7. 

356. 1 Jno. 3, 16. 

357. Matt. 9, 29. 

358. Prov. 15, 1. 

359. Rom. 6, 11. 

360. Jno. 12, 32. 

361. Rom. 5, 21. 

362. Job 38, 32. 

363. Ruth 1, 16. 

364. 2 Cor. 12, 9. 

365. Prov. 4, 4, 

366. 2 Cor, 6, 2. 

367. Isa. 35, L 

368. Matt. 24, 35. 

369. Mark 1, 27. 

370. Eiph. 6, 11. 

371. Deut, 23, 14. 

372. Matt. 5, 18. 

373. John 4, 7. 

374. Matt. 6, 22. 

375. John 8, 38. 

376. Prov. 14, 12. 

377. Luke 17, 6. 

378. Matt, 21, 22. 

379. Matt. 21, 21. 

380. 2 Cor. 5, 7. 

381. 2 Tim. 2, 12. 

382. Mai. 3, 2-3. 

383. Luke 5, 5. 

384. Job 8, 13. 

385. John 15, 11. 

386. Matt. 8, 26. 

387. Prov, 11, 6. 

388. Psalms 37, 16. 

389. Matt. 27, 32. 

390. Matt. 6, 30. 

391. Prov, 15, 6. 

392. Rom. 12, 2. 

393. Rom. 5, 19. 

394. Rom. 12, 19. 

395. Luke 13, 35. 
3S«. Psalm 100, 2. 

397. Psalm 31, 24. 

398. Prov. 12, 24. 

399. Esther 7, 10. 

400. Luke 2, 51. 

401. Luke 8, 24. 

402. Prov, 6, 27. 

403. Job, 41, 23, 

404. Luke 7, 38. 

405. Romans 12, 10. 

406. Dan. 3. 21. 

407. Matt. 7. 7. 

408. Gen. 3. 1. 

409. Mark 9. 47. 

410. Psalm 127, 1. 
\\\. Jer. 21, 8. 

412. Solomon 2, 1. 

413. Heb. 2, 8. 

414. 1 Cor. 10. 10. 

415. Hab. 2. 15. 
413. Phil. 2, 9. 
^17. John 6, 41. 

418. 1 John 2, L 

419. Psalm 30, 5. 

420. 1 Tim. 5, 4. 



421. Matt. 17, 21-22. 

422. Luke 24, 49. 

423. Matt. 16, 27. 

424. James 1, 12. 

425. John 15, 13. 

426. Eccl. 12, 13. 

427. 2 Tim. 1, 12. 

428. John 14, 2-3. 

429. 2 Chron. 2, 4. 

430. 1 Oor. 2, 10, 

431. Rev, 22, 17, 

432. Prov. 1, 5. 

433. I Chron. 29, 5. 

434. Luke 1, 78. 

435. 2 Cor. 13, 4. 

436. Zech. 4, 10. 

437. Rev. 21, 7. 

438. John 4, 29, 

439. Psalm 96, L 

440. 2 Tim. 2, 15. 

441. Matt. 26, 39. 

442. Rom. 8, 21. 

443. Eccl. 5, 12. 

444. Eccl. 12, 1. 

445. Matt. 25, 28-29. 

446. Jobn 20, 26. 

447. Mark 12, 30. 

448. Rom. 8, 28. 

449. Rom. 5, 10. 

450. 2 Cor. 3, 18. 

451. John 1, 14, 8, 
12. 

452. 1 John 2, 13. 
John 16, 33. 

453. Rom. 8, 26, 
Gal. 5, 22. 

454. 1 Tim, 2, 24. 
Psalm 8, 35. 

455. 1 Thess. 5, 6. 

456. Phil. 3, IS, 

457. Matt, 18, 11. 
Heb. 7. 25. 

458. Psalm 146, 5. 
Jer. 17. 7. 

1 Cor. 13, 13. 

459. 2 Peter 1, 6. 

460. Luke 14, 16, 

461. John 14. 1. 

462. Eph. 6, 13. 
Matt. 28, 20. 

463. 1 Oor. 10, 13. 

464. John 17, 24. 

465. Psalm 37, 31. 
Matt. 6, 21. 

466. Heb. 11. 16. 

467. Rom. 12, 8. 

468. Gal. 5, 13. 

469. Rom. 8, 35. 

470. Heb. 11, 38. 

471. Matt. 10, 29. 

472. Titus 3. 1. 

473. Prov. 18, 21. 
Matt. 8, 20. 

474. Rom. 1, 30. 

475. Psalms 66, 18. 
Matt. 5, 23. 

476. Matt. 20, 28. 

477. Rom. 13, 11. 
1 Cor. 15, 34. 

479. 2 Cor. 5, 4. 
Rom. 8, 2. 

480. 1 Cor. 1, 20. 



481. Acts 26, 7. 
Matt. 26, 41. 

482. 1 Cor. 15, 19. 

483. Matt, 7, 25, 
1 Tim, 6, 19. 

484. 2 Tim. 4, 8. 

485. 1 Peter 1, 4. 

486. Matt, 18, 12. 

487. 1 Cor. 12, 10. 

488. Psalm 81, 1. 

489. 1 Joihn 1, 9. 

490. Heb. 4, 9. 

491. Phil. 3, 10. 

492. Psalm 119, 50. 
1 Thess. 4, 18. 

493. John 4, 14. 

496. Rev. 22, 4. 

497. 1 Tim. 6, 7. 

498. Prov. 27, 1. 
Matt. 6, 34. 

499. Luke 4, 2i. 
Prov. 15, 26. 

500. Neh. 1, 8. Heb. 
8 12 

501. Psalm 25, 15. 
Mark 8, 18. 

502. Prov. 3, 26. 

503. Heb. 12, 28. 
Gen. 20, 11. 
Psalm 9, 9. 

504. 1 Cor. 13, 13. 

505. Mai. 2, 4. 
Matt. 4, 23. 

507. 1 Cor. 9, 19. 

509. P^alm 48, 17. 
Rom. 2, 4. 

510. Phil. 3, 13. 

511. Psalm 37, 3. 
Prov. 10, 21. 

512. Eccl. 10, 20. 

513. 1 Peter 2. 2L 

514. Rev. 2, 26. 

515. Hab. 13, 13. 
Hab. 24, 20. 

516. 1 Peter 1, 4. 

517. Matt. 11, 29. 

518. Rom. 13. 10. 

519. 1 John 2, 15. 

520. Psalm 22, 8. 

521. Psalm 19, 8. 
Rom. 12, 12. 

522. Jer. 4, 3. 

523. 1 Tim. 6, 9. 
624. Prov. 6, 27. 

525. Rev. 2, 17. 

526. Prov. 4, 23. 
Ezek. 11, 19. 
John 14, 1. 

527. Hosea 11. 4. 

528. Ex. 19, 4. 

529. Isa. 2, 4. 

530. James 5, 13. 

531. Prov. 12, 24. 
432. 1 Cor. 6, 10. 
533. Psalm 33, 18. 

535. Matt. 8. 17. 

536. Psalm 60, 4. 

537. Phil. 4, 19. 

538. Jer. 17, 9. 

541. Psalm 68. 19, 
84, 10. 

542. Ps. 90, 12. 



643. Matt. 20, 23. 

544. Luke 4, 88. 
Jajmes 1, 22. 

545. John 14, 19. 

546. James 3, 17. 
Ps. 8, 35. 

547. Ps. 15, 5. Heb. 
12, 28. 

549. Ps. 65, 11. 
560. Rom. 12, 21. 

551. Gen. 2, 3. 

552. Matt. 5, 30. 

1 Tim. 2, 8. 

553. 1 Sam. 16, 7. 

554. Song Sol. 2, 17. 

555. 1 Sam. 2, 9. 
Rom. 5, 6. 

556. Eccl. 12, 1. 
Matt. 25, 34. 

557. Ps. 52, 3. 

558. Luke 15, 5-6. 

559. Isa. 58, 8. 

560. Matt. 28, 20. 

561. Mark 14, 38, 
Titus 3, 1. 

562. 1 Cor. 13, 10. 

563. Matt. 7, 1. 

564. 1 Cor. 3, €. 

565. Matt. 14, 27. 

566. 1 Pet. 2, 21. 

567. 1 Cor. 8, 11. 

2 Pet. 1, 7. 

568. Eccl. 12, 5. 

569. Eph. 6, 8, 

570. Matt, 25, 40, 

571. 1 Thess. 5, 18. 

572. John 8, 32-36. 

573. Matt. 24. 44. 

574. Luke 15, 1-32. 

575. Matt. 5, 29. 
Matt. 10, 28. 

576. Luke 12, 33. 
1 Cor. 13. 8. 

577. 1 Cor. 15, 9. 

579. Mark 8. 18. 

580. Ps. 27, 10. 

581. 1 Tim. 2. 8. 

582. Isa. 66, 3. Hete. 
11, 25. 

583. 2 Oor. 10. 5. 
684. Matt. 13, 32. 

Luke 10, 41. 
Phil. 4, 6. 

585. Heb. 13. 2. 

586. Matt. 6, 28. 

587. Prov. 16, 31, 

588. Col. 1, 27. Rom. 
4, 18. 

589. 1 Tim. 5. 13. 
R90. Col. 3. 14. 

591. Rom. 14, 23. 

592. Col. 25, 10. 

593. 1 Tim. 5, 24. 

594. Isa. 12, 2. 

596. Rev. 2. 11. 

597. Matt. 9, 22. 

598. John 14. 26, 
Lev. 26, 43. 
Heb, 8. 12. 

599. 1 Tim. 5, 12. 

600. Col. 3. 3. 



INDEX. 



SCRIPTURE TEXTS ILLUSTRATED. BY BOOKS OF THE BIBLE. 



GENESIS 

1,26,27 352 

1, 28 96 

2, 18 254 

3, I 408 

3. 19 272 

18,22 58 

20, II 503 

25.34 36 

49.24 272 

EXODUS 

10, 4 528 

IvEVITICUS 

26, 6 — 253 

26, 8 44 

NUMBERS 

23,21 157 

32,23 196 

DEUTERONOMY 
11,13 81 

23,14 371 

3^12,13 229 

32, II 248 

32. 13 169 

RUTH 

I, 16 363 

1 SAMUEL 

1, 15 211 

I, 24 229 

1,24 265 

2,7 225 

3.9 81 

3. JO 113 

16,7 64 

2 SAMUEL 

6,17 243 

1 CHRONICLES 
29.5 433 

2 CHRONICLES 

2,4 429 

II. 5 -.•.•234 

12, 14 305 

20, 17 232 

NEHEMIAH 

1,8 500 

9.12 257 

ESTHER 

7.10 390 

JOB 

8,13 384 

11,13 64 

19,26 288 



23.10 233 

29, 13 140 

38,32 362 

41.23 403 

PSALMS 

2, 12 .302 

3.3 179 

6,7 355 

8,35 546 

9, 18 ..225 

10.14 325 

10, 17 211 

15.5 547 

19,8 521 

19.9 503 

19, 10 8 

19, 14 341 

22, 18 520 

25, 1 501 

25,5 264 

26,8 324 

27, 10 82 

27, 10 219 

30.5 419 

31, 12 271 

31.24 397 

32. 8 107 

32,8 176 

32,8 251 

33.18 533 

35.14 219 

37,3 511 

37, 10 388 

37, 18 205 

37.31 -....405 

37.40 85 

39,6 198 

40, 17 322 

48,17 509 

51,2 214 

60, 4 536 

62,2 344 

63-1 215 

65, II 309 

65.11 549 

66,18 475 

68, 19 541 

8t,i.... 488 

84, 10 541 

85,6 75 

90, 12 165 

92,14 350 

96. 1 439 

103, 5 248 

100,2 396 



118 289 

119.50 492 

119. II 174 

126,6 75 

127,1.. 410 

127,2 999 

141. 8 139 

146,5 458 

PROVERBS 

1.5 432 

1,32 218 

1.33 160 

2, 3 201 

3.3 236 

3.21 49 

3,26 502 

4,4 365 

4, 23 242 

4,23 526 

6,27..., 402 

6,27 524 

10,21 511 

11,3 197 

11,6 387 

11,18 887 

12,20 141 

12,24 398 

12,24 531 

14, 12 246 

14, 12 258 

14,12 379 

14, 12 785 

14,29 187 

15. I 90 

15. I 358 

15.6^ 391 

15.26 499 

16,24 76 

16,32 311 

18,24 473 

20, I 252 

20,28 226 

22, I .331 

22, 4 198 

22, 6 327 

23, 5 126 

23, 21 225 

23, 32 104 

24,28 63 

27, 1 408 

28,1 221 

30,26 337 

31, 10 201 

ECCLESIAST 

2,14 351 

10 



5,12 443 

7, 12 224 

9, 10 310 

10, 20 512 

12, 1 444 

12, 13 426 

SOLOMON 

2, 1 412 

2, 12 263 

2, 15.. 122 

ISAIAH 



2,4.. 
5.12. 
9, 16, 
11,5- 
11,9- 
25,8. 
26, I, 
26. 3. 
26,7. 
35.1' 
32,9' 
35.7. 



529 

277 

. 11 
236 
209 
156 
235 
353 
209 

.367 
218 

215 



40,31 137 

54, II. 13 151 

55.1 343 

56, 2, 6 238 

56,5 62 

56,7 231 

57.20 1-53 

57,20 212 

58,7 177 

58,9 211 

58,13 238 

61, 1 217 

61,3 224 

63,3 278 

63,4 216 

64,6 340 

66, 13 240 

JEREMIAH 

3.14 (>1 

4,3 522 

8,5 280 

8. 14 234 

13.23 222 

17,7 458 

17,9 538 

21,8 411 

23,4 220 

23,22 935 

31,13 345 

LAMENTATIONS 

3,23 285 

3,27 93 



INDEX. 



EZEKIEL 

3,18 189 

7.13 142 

11,19 526 

20, 18 297 

21,28 213 

26, 36 260 

38,26 888 

DANIEL 

3,21 4c6 

5,2 105 

5,27 180 

9, 22 206 

12 3 192 

ROSEA 

2, 18 160 

4,11 275 

11,4 527 

T2, 8 293 

AMOS 
6,1 218 

HABAKKUK 

2,15 415 

13.13 515 

24,30 5'5 

ZACHARIAH 

2.5 235 

4, 10 436 

II, 12 180 

14,20 43 

MALACHI 

3, 2 and 3 383 

3, 16 290 

3.17 313 

4.2 339 

4,2 505 

MATTHEW 

4,23 505 

5,16 4 

5, 16 114 

5.18 372 

5.23 475 

6,7 348 

6,12 188 

6, 13 102 

6,21 465 

6.22 374 

6, 24 342 

6, 30 390 

6, 34 498 

7.1 65 

7,7 407 

7, 8 123 

7,9 213 

7,13 184. 



7, 13, 14 164 

7.25 483 

8,17 535 

8,20 473 

8,26 386 

9.29 357 

10, 8 33 

10.29 471 

10,34 294 

10,42 6 

11.29 517 

12.22 354 

12,36 22 

13.33 20 

13.45 24 

11;, 9 121 

16,27 423 

17,6 276 

17, 21 and 22 421 

18,3 31 

18, 12 486 

19.21 227 

20.23 543 

20,28 476 

2F, 21 379 

21,22 378 

22, II 308 

22,20 103 

23.37 304 

25, [2 83 

25, 28 and 29 445 

25.34 150 

25,36 256 

25,44 51 

26, 29 441 

26,41 95 

26,41 481 

27.32 389 

28,20 462 

MARK 

1.27 369 

8,18 501 

8,34 227 

9,41 256 

9,42 200 

9, 47 409 

10,5 209 

12,30 142 

12,30 447 

LUKE 

i,T3 244 

1,78 434 

1,80 312 

2, 51 400 

3.4 207 

4,18.... 39 



4.22 449 

4. 36 544 

4.42 126 

5.5 383 

6,23 231 

7,38 404 

8, 15 129 

8,21 320 

8, 24 401 

8,37 -.62 

10, 18 299 

10,37 226 

11,4 102 

II, 10 123 

12,15 131 

12,31 69 

12,31 309 

12,36 264 

12,40 207 

12,53 66 

13,35 395 

14, 16 460 

14.33 298 

15,27 220 

15,31 134 

15,47 7 

16, 13 52 

17,2 2C0 

17, 6 200 

21,34 275 

22,47 241 

24,49 422 

JOHN 

1.9 92 

1,9 112 

I, 12 31 

1,14 451 

3, 19 20 203 

3.19 ^53 

4.7 373 

4.14 493 

4.29 438 

5.24 113 

6,41 417 

7.24 243 

8, 12 451 

8,38 375 

9,4 20^ 

9,6 186 

9,22 221 

10, 14 220 

10, 14 236 

II, 10 172 

12,32 360 

13, 15 54 

14,1 461 

// 



14, 1 526 

14. 2, 3 428 

14,2 109 

14.19 545 

14,27 221 

15. II 385 

15.13 2 

15.13 425 

16,33 452 

17,15 94 

17, 16, 25 I 

17,23 130 

17.24 464 

20,26 446 

ACTS 

1,8 148 

10.35 185 

10,38 158 

17,26 3 

20,24 344 

24, 16 237 

26, 7 481 

ROMANS 

1,30 474 

2,4 509 

2, 5 209 

2, i6 173 

2, 14, 15 163 

5,6 : 316 

5,7 347 

5, 10 2 

5, 10 449 

5. 19 204 

5.19 393 

5, 21 361 

6, II 359 

6, 17 .204 

6,23 81 

8.2 479 

8,13 255 

8, 21 442 

8,26 127 

8,26 453 

8,28 448 

8,35 469 

9.5 281 

10, 9, 10 27 

10, 19 163 

11,26 323 

12, 1 70 

12, 1 247 

12, 2 392 

12,3 476 

12, 10 256 

12, 10 405 

12, 12 57 



IJNDEX. 



12, 12 521 

12, 18 270 

12, 19 13 

12,19 394 

12, 21 55 

12,21 550 

13.10 .....518 

13,11 477 

14,7 25 

14, 15 166 

14, 22 283 

15, 16 298 

1 CORINTHIANS 

1,20 480 

1,27. 108 

3,4 139 

3,12 223 

3,13 152 

3.13 458 

3.21 349 

6, 10 532 

6, 20 227 

9.19 507 

10,9 210 

10, 10 414 

10, 12 23 

10,13 463 

11,10.. 430 

12, 10 487 

13, 1 286 

13.5 301 

13,13 504 

13,13 458 

15, 19 250 

15, 19 292 

15, 19 482 

15,34 477 

15,56 202 

16, 13 lOI 

2 CORINTHIANS 

3,18 450 

4,2 206 

5,1 279 

5,1 37 

5.4 479 

5,7 380 

5, 17 222 

5,20 54 

6,2 271 

6, 2 366 

8,9........ ...171 

10,5 117 

10,5 155 

10,5 n^ 

10,7 102 

12,9 364 



13,4 435 

GALATIANS 

2, 16 310 

5. 13 468 

5,21 277 

5,22 453 

EPHESIANS 

1,18 186 

2, 10 222 

3 • 763 

3, 17, 18, 19 346 

4, 13 Ill 

4, 18 209 

5.8 172 

5,9 201 

5, II 20 

5,18 117 

5,25 419 

5.26 233 

5,32 254 

6,4 243 

6,6 310 

6,11 45 

6, 1 1 370 

6, 13 462 

6,17 87 

PHILIPIANS 

2, 9, 10 194 

2,9 416 

2, 15 114 

2, 17 247 

3, 10 491 

3.13 456 

3. 13 230 

3,13 510 

4, 18 60 

4.19 144 

4,19 537 

COLLOSIANS 

2,2 159 

3,17 255 

3,23 274 

I THESSALONIANS 

1, 10 22 

4, II 273 

4, 18 493 

5,14 147 

5,22 167 

5,22 239 

2THESSALONIANS 

1,9 278 

2,8 72 

2,8 119 

» 3, 5 260 

12 



1 TIMOTHY 

1,12 975 

2, I c9 

2,5 236 

2,24 454 

5,4 420 

5, 13 106 

5,24 262 

6,7 497 

6,9 523 

6,19 483 

2 TIMOTHY 

1. 12... 427 

2, 1 — 116 

2,12 381 

2,15 440 

2,17 132 

3.17 314 

4,8 484 

4, 8 191 

TITUS 

2, II, 12 245 

3, 1 472 

HEBREWS 

1,3 268 

1, 13 102 

2,8 413 

3, 13 202 

3,13 367 

4,9 490 

4, II 182 

4, 15, 16 118 

6, 12 329 

7,19 292 

7,25 181 

7,25 457 

8.12 500 

11,6 204 

11,6.. . 287 

11,24.... 216 

11,25 332 

11,34 152 

11,34 335 

11,38 470 

11,46 466 

12, 1 74 

12, 1 315 

12,2. 193 

12,28 503 

12,28 547 

13,2 51 

13,5 no 

13,14 175 

13,20 220 



JAMES 

1,8 53 

1, 12 424 

1.22 544 

2, 2 226 

2,5 171 

2, 13 226 

3, 5,6 152 

3, 5-6 303 

3.17 546 

5,13 530 

5,20 79 

I JOHN 

1,7 234 

1.7 284 

1,9 489 

2, 1 418 

2, 13 452 

2,15 519 

3,16 356 

3.17 225 

4,6 259 

4, 18 320 

5,4 71 

5,15 154 

5,i9-.- 145 

3 JOHN 

10 86 

JUDE 

13 102 

13 208 

I PETER 

1,3 307 

1,6 459 

2,2 239 

2,4 321 

3, 10 170 

3, 12 152 

REVELATIONS 
2, 17 296 

2,17 525 

2,26 34 

3>i 314 

3,17 203 

3,20 282 

7,9 100 

1,^1 199 

11,7 115 

15,1 117 

21,7 437 

21,8 291 

21,8 334 

21, 19 151 

22,4 496 

22, 17 431 



INDEX OF4ILLUSTRATIONS 
for the International Sunday-School Lessons for 1901. 

Note : From two six numbers ot illustrative incidents contained in this book are given un- 
der the lessons to which they apply. A rare help to Sunday School teachers. 



JANUARY. 

Studies in the Life of Jesus. First Quarter. 
6. Jesus annointed at Bethany. Matt. 26: 

6-16. 

Mark 14:8. 6, 203, 487. 

The triumphal entry. Matt. 21 :i-i7. 
G. T. Matt. 21 .-9. 48 423- 
20. Greeks seeking Jesus. John 12:20-33 

John 12:21. 24, 126, 151, 323, 489, 566. 

Christ silences the Pharisees. Matt. 22: 

34-46. 

Matt. 22:42. 451, 592. 



G. T. 
13- 



G. T. 

27- 



G. T. 

FEBRUARY. 
3. Parable of the ten Virgins. Matt. 25: 

I-I3- 
G. T. Matt. 25:13. 47, 152, 481. 
ID. Parable of the- Talents. Matt. 25:14-30. 
G. T. Rom. 14:12. 43, 67, 132, 176. 
17. The Lord's Supper. Matt. 26:17-30. 
G. T. Luke 22:19. Z^l, 400, 598. 
24. Jesus in Gethsemane. Matt. 26:36-46. 
G! T. Lu. 22:42. 34, 118. 

MARCH. 
3. Jesus betrayed. John 18:1-14. 
G. T.Matt. 26 :45. 241, 421. 
10. Jesus and Caiaphas. Matt 26:57-68. 
G. T. Matt. 16:16. 259, 320 409. 
17. Jesus and Pilate. Luke 23 :i3-26. 
G. T. Luke 23:4. 180, 225, 264. 
24. Jesus crucified and buried. Lu. 23 :35-53. 
G. T. I Cor. IS :3. 2, 134, 476, 389, 572. 
31. Review. 
G. T. Isa. 53:3. 181. 

SECOND QUARTER. 
APRIL. 

7. The resurrection of Jesus. Luke 24:1-12. 
G. T. I Cor. 15 :20. 295, 545. 
14. Jesus appears to Mary. John 20:11-18, 
G. T. Rev. I :i8. 228. 

21. The walk to Emmaus. Luke 24:13-35, 
G. T. Luke 24 :32. 58, 209, ^69, 374- 
28. Jesus apears to the Apostles. John 20: 

19-29. 
G. T. John 20 :29. 380, 446, 471. 



MAY. 

5. Jesus and Peter. John 21 :i5-22. 
G. T. John 21 :i7. 2, 160, 169 302, 563. 
12. The Great Commission. Matt. 28:16-20. 
G. T. Matt. 28:20. 8, 29, 79, 156, 287. 
19. Jesus ascends into Heaven. Luke 24:44- 

53. Acts I :i-ii. 
G. T. Luke 24:51. 191, 461, 464. 
26. The Holy Spirit Given. Acts 2:1-11. 



He- 



G. T. John 16:13. 18,71, 148. 
JUNE. 

2. Jesus our High Priest in Heaven. 

brews 9:11-14, 24-28. 
G. T. Heb. 7:25. 28s, 418. 

9. Jesus appears to Paul. Acts 22:6-16. 
G. T. Acts 26:19. 112, 130, 392, 413, 561. 
16. Jesus appears to John. Rev. i :9-20. 
G. T. Heb. 13 :8. 242, 515. 
23. A new Heaven and a new Earth. Rev. 

21 : 1-7. 22-27. 
G. T. Rev. 21 :7. 69, 145, 275, 307, 410, 482, 458. 
30. Review. 
G. T. I Cor. 6:14. 37, 471, 491, 288. 

THIRD QUARTER. 
Studies in the Lives of the Patriarchs. 
JULY. 
7. God, the creator of all things. Gen. i :i- 

G. T. Gen. 1:1. Z, '^■^^ 40j 103^ 186. 

14. Beginning of Sin and redemption. Gen. 

3:1-15. 
G. T. Rom. 5 :20. Z'2, 35, 102. 
21. Noah saved in the ark. Gen. 8:1-22. 
G. T. Gen. 6:8. 36, 246, 234, 524. 
28. God calls Abram. Gen. 12:1-9. 
G. T. Gen. 12:2. 128, 177, 526. 

AUGUST. 

4. Abram and Lot. Gen. 13:1-18. 
G. T. Matt. 7:12. 164, 167, 276, 358, 461, 463. 
II. God's promise to Abraham. Gen. 15 :i-i8. 
G. T. Gen. 15 :i. 412, 514, 600. 
18. Abraham, intercession. Gen. 18:16-33. 
G. T. James 5 :i6. 154, 362, 477. 



^3 



INDEX 



25. Abraham and Isaac. Gen. 22:1-14. 
G. T. Heb. II :i7. 379, 393. 

SEPTEMBER. 

I. Isaac, the peacemaker. Gen. 26:12-25. 
G. T Matt. 5 :9. 13, 90, 197, 394, 401. 

8. Jacob, at Bethel. Gen. 28:10-22. 
G. T. Gen. 28:16. 346, 539. 
15. Jacob a prince with God. Gen. 32:1-32, 
G. T. Luke 18:1. 16, 123, 397, 437, 475. 
22. Temperance Lesson. Prov. 25 :29-35. 
G. T. Bor. 20:1. 115, 252, 415, 540. 
29. Review. 
G. T. Psa. 103:17. 240, 368. 

FOURTH QUARTER. 
OCTOBER. 

6. Joseph sold into Egypt. Gen. 37:12-36. 
G. T. Acts 7 :9- 68, 82, 390, 453- 
13. Joseph in prison. Gen. 39:20-40:15. 
G. T. Gen. 39:21. 38, 59, 114, 116. 
20. Joseph Exalted. Gen. 41 :38-49. 
G. T. I Sam. 2 :30. 69, 109, 223. 
27. Joseph and his brethren. Gen. 45:1-15. 
G. T. Rom. 12:21. loi, 224, 509, 567. 



NOVEMBER. 

Death of Joseph. Gen. 50:15-26. 
Psa. 90:12. ZT, 2,77. 
Israel oppressed in Egyj)t. Exod. i :i-i4. 
Exod. 2:24. 225, 336, 452. 
The childhood of Moses. Exod. 2:1-10. 
Prov. 22 :6. 45, 99, 106, 207, 244, 267, 551. 
World's Temperance lesson. Isa 5 :8-30. 
Isa 5:22. 80, 115, 210, 299, 387. 



3. 

G. T, 
10. 

G. T 
17- 

G. T. 
24. 
G. T. 



DECEMBER. 

I. The call of Moses. Exod. 3:1-12. 
G. T. Exod. 3:12. 236, 398, 564, 572 . 

8. Moses and Pharaoh. Exod. 11 :i-io. 
G. T. Isa 63 :9. 135, 166, 232, 557. 
15. The Passover. Exod. 12:1-17. 
G. T. I Cor. 5 -.7. 21, 216, 503. 
22. The passage of the Red Sea. Exod. 14 : 

13-27. 
G. T. Exod. 15:1. 85, 86, 399, 571, or Christ- 
mas Lesson Isa 9:1 '.7. 
G. T. Luke 2:11, 105. , 216. 
29. Review. 
G. T. Rom. 8:31. 153, 278. 



INDEX OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



Arranged for Christian Endeavor, Epworth League and other Young People's Society 

Prayer Meeting topics, for 1901. 

Note : The indexing of from 4 to 8 illustrations for each topic, provides the means for 
making young people's meetings mteresting. The arrangement of the topics given by the 
United Society of Christian Endeavor is used, but the differences in the arrangement of the 
topics by other societies or leagues will be very few. 



JANUARY. 24. 

6. A FORWARD LOOK. Phil. 3:12-14. 
227, 230, 466, 292, 456, 562. 583. 

13. YOUTHFUL CONSECRATION. Eccl. 
12:1. 207, 229, 265,366. 

14. ABIDING INFLUENCE. Heb. 11:4, 
Matt. 26:13. 121, 200, 182, 192. 3. 

27. MISSIONS: RESOLUTIONS. Rom. 

I :i4-i6. 3, 506, 298. 10. 

FEBRUARY. 
3. CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR DAY. 

Josh. I :i-ii. 218, 221, 488, 479, 270, 291, 17- 
141, 185. 
10. IF CHRIST SHOULD COME TO- 24. 
MORROW. I Thess. 5 :i,2,4-8. 447, 481, 
554- 
17. CONFESSING CHRIST. Matt. 10:32- 31- 
39. 19s, 438, 238. 

^4 



TRUST: "TRUSTING IN THE 
LORD JESUS CHRIST FOR 
STRENGTH." Phil. 4:4-13- 108, 537, 
462, 248. 

MARCH. 

RELIGIOUS BARRENNESS. Luke 
13 :6-9. 78, 89, 519- 

A CAST-AWAY. i Cor. 9:24-27 
(Temperance Meeting). 142, 143, 277, 
212, 22,7, 232. 

CHRIST, OUR HIGH PRIEST. Heb. 
7:24-28, 56. 

WHAT I OWE TO CHRIST. 2 Cor. 
8:9; I Pet. 2:21-25. 449, 476, 66, 425, 

577- 

MISSIONS: LOVE OF SOULS. 
Rom. 10:1. 247, 305. 



INDEX. 



APRIL. i8. 

7. DEAD TO SIN, ALIVE TO CHRIST. 

Eph. 2:1-10. 52, 300, 359, 342, 565. 25. 

14. FOUNDATIONS. Matt. 7:24-27. in, 

9, 17, 483- 
21. WALKING WITH JESUS. Col. 

2:6-7; Gal. 5:16-26. 54, no, 385. 
28. FIDELITY TO PLEDGES : 'T PROM- i. 
ISE." Ps. 65:1-4; 61:1-8; 116:12-14. 

238, 433. 8. 

MAY. 

5. DECISION OF CHARACTER. Rev. 15. 

3:14-16; Prov. a.-.^z-^'j. 107, 195, 550. 
12. PRACTICE CHRISTANITY. i John. 22. 

3:14-18. 7, 6, 237, 206. 
19. A NAMELESS GIRL HEROINE. 2 

Kings. 5:1-4. (A union meeting with 29. 

the Juniors) 251, 254, 470. 
26. MISSIONS: PROMISES AND 

PROPHECIES. Ps. 2. 189, 253, 339. 6 

JUNE. 
2 HOW TO GET RID OF SIN. i3- 

I John. I :5-io. 100, 184, 284, 285, 559, 

591. 
9. HOW TO ENTER CHRIST'S FAM- 20. 

ILY. Matt. 12:46-50. 159. 
16. REVERENCE FOR SACRED 27. 

THINGS. Ex. 3:1-6. 341. 
2Z. HOW TEMPERANCE WOULD 

HELP TRANSFORM THE EARTH. 

Rev. 21 :i-7. (Temperance Meeting) 365. 

361, 408, 529, 556. 
30. WHATEVER: "I WILL STRIVE 3. 

TO DO WHATEVER HE WOULD 

LIKE TO HAVE ME DO." John. 10. 

15:7-16; Matt. 28:18-20. 84, 455, 457, 

462. 

JULY. 17. 

7. RELIGION AND PATRIOTISM. 

Rom. 13:1-7. 472, 279, 298, 403. 24. 

14. INDIVIDUAL WORK FOR CHRIST. 

Acts 8:26-40. 5. 
21. A STRONG WEAK MAN. Judges. i. 

16:20-30. 'J'], 226, 196, 376, 95, 385, 555- 
28. MISSIONS: TRUE PHILAN- g 

THROPY. Gal. 6:1-10. 44, 7o, n9, 168, 

169, 442. 15. 

AUGUST. 

.4 GAINING BY LOSING. Mark 10 :28-30. 22. 

69, 131, 388, 576. 
n. • ENEMIES AND ARMS. Eph. 6:10-18. 29. 
87, 324- 

15 



GOD'S REQUIREMENTS. Deut. 10: 

12-14. 52, 72, 357. 

DAILY PRAYER : 'T WILL MAKE 
IT THE RULE OF MY LIFE TO 
PRAY EVERY DAY." Ps. 34:1-22. 
75, 81, 211, 127, 422, 378, 407. 
SEPTEMBER. 

SPIRITUAL ACQUAINTANCE. Job. 
22:21-23. 41, 42, no, 113, 250. 

HEAVENLY HELPERS. 2 Kings 
6:15-17. 92, 144, 137. 

TRUE HONOR. John. 5:41-44. 62, 
83, 296, 139, 480, 553- 

THE SALOON POWER DOOMED. 
Ps. 37:1-10. (Temperance Meeting) 
452, 429, 338. 

MISSIONS: GROWTH OF THE 
KINGDOM. Ps. ^2. 10, 29, -jd, 145. 
OCTOBER. 

"THIS GRACE ALSO." 2 Cor. 8:7-9. 

(Giving) 88, 436. 

DARK DAYS AND THEIR LES- 
SONS. Ps. 107:1-15. 38, 39, 93, 133, 
419, 482, 492, 594. 

A BAD BARGAIN. Gen. 25 :29-34. 65, 
74, 402, 4n. 

BIBLE READING: "I WILL MAKE 
IT THE RULE OF MY LIFE TO 
READ THE BIBLE EVERY DAY." 
2 Tim. 3:1-17- 49, 289, 306, 391, 417, 
544- 

NOVEMBER. 

GOD'S LEADING IN OUR LIVES. 
Ps. 23. 220, 486, 5n, 558, 568. 

OUR NATIONAL BONDAGE. Hab. 
1:13-17; Amos. 6:1-6. (Temperance 
Meeting) 136, 163, 245. 

MISSIONS : PREACHING AND 
HEARING. Rom. 10:13-17. 170, 435. 

THANKSGIVING. Isa. 25:1-8. 33, 
86, 404, 571. 

DECEMBER. 

CHILDREN OF GOD. Rom. 8:14-17. 
A, 31, 54- 

THE RIGHT USE OF ABILITY. 
Matt. 5:13-16. 4, 91, 172, 450. 

IMPERIALISM OF CHRISTIANITY 
Dan. 2:44-45. I, 10, 560. 

OUR GIFTS TO OUR KING. Matt. 
2:1-12. 51, 171, 570. 

NUMBERING OUR DAYS. Ps. 9a 
53, 542. 



fresh Bait for fisbers of jVIcn 

^^ CiT^ t^^ 

ILLUSTRATIONS FROM CURRENT EVENTS. 



THE CHURCH SURROUDNED BY WORLDINESS. i 

The recent violent and dangerous eruption of Mauna Loa, the great Hawaiian volcano, 
has called special attention to the new volcanic riches that have come under the Stars and 
Stripes by the acquisition of Hawaii. A traveler gives a very interesting description of the 
ascent of this fiery mountain. He says that in the ascent of Mauna Loa it is possible to keep 
the more traversible lava almost to the summit. At intervals the stream is interrupted by 
difficult blocks, but these difficult intervals are fortunately rare. The last thousand feet of 
altitude lie entirely in block lava and are very difficult to pass. It is bitter cold; each block 
of lava is as cold as a block of iron would be under the same exposure and the hands are 
numbed by touching the inhospitable surroundings in the hope of finding some assistance 
for the painful climb. The faint slope of the mountain continues as it has been from the 
very sea, no more than an easy grade. Approached from whatever side it may be the actual 
crater comes as a surprise. One draws back as though just caught in time from toppling over 
a precipice. In the heart of the summit waste of gigantic blocks the bottom is dropped out. 
The mountaineer discovers it by coming around the corner of a lava block and finding him- 
self on the edge of a sheer descent of half a thousand feet. Standing in a snow bank he 
looks down on a lake just below him in which rocks are melted and flow like water. The 
condition of the Church in the world is something like that. It is a warm stream of love 
and sympathy flowing from the heart of God through the midst of the cold world. It is to 
be in the world melting its hard-heartedness, modifying its spiritual climate, transforming it, 
but never expecting to get help or sjonpathy from it. We are to be in the world and are 
to capture it for Christ, but not to compromise with it. 

THE STRENGTH OF LOVE . 2 

Petitions are being circulated for the pardon of a man who is serving a life sentence 
in the Kansas State Penitentiary, on very interesting grounds. The statement is made that 
the prisoner plead guilty to the charge of a murder which he never committed in order to 

17 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

save his sister, who was also innocent. It seems that he had found out that certain persons 
purposed to swear that a man who had been found dead was murdered by his sister, and 
in order to shield her he went before the court and swore that he committed the crime him- 
self. It now appears that the man was not murdered at all, but died of apoplexy. It is 
certainly a very striking illustration of the power of a brother's love. Love is the mightiest 
factor in the world. When love and right join hands nothing can stand against them 

THE UNITY OF THE RACE. 3 

When Peary, the Arctic explorer, returned from his last sojourn in the North, he 
brought back with him a little Eskimo boy named Mene. Scientific men have been watch- 
ing his progress in school with a great deal of interest. He turns out to be a most brilliant 
youth. The advancement of this little waif of the North puzzles his teachers. Less than 
two years ago he landed in New York, a veritable little savage. He comes from a tribe of 
people who inhabit the most northern spot on the face of the earth. Their home is 600 
miles within the Arctic circle, or about half way between the circle and the Pole. So far 
north are they that they are completely isolated all the year round from the rest of the 
world. They know little or nothing of the outside v\^orld, have no religious ceremonies, 
and practically no concern for the future life, their only explanation of death being that 
when an Eskimo dies he has gone down in the water where there is better fishing and 
hunting. And yet, suddenly taken out of this darkness, little Mene shows a natural intel- 
ligence fully equal to that of the average child born of civilized parents. Very few children 
of this age make as rapid progress at school as he has made since last November, when 
he first entered school. Surely this ought to be an incentive to Christian people to carry 
the white light of the Gospel into the dark places of the earth. The human race is a unit; 
God has made us brethren, and we should act a brother's part in carrying the blessings we 
have to all the earth. 

HUMAN LIGHT GIVERS. 4 

A physician in Sonora, California, says that a Mexican came to him one day and said 
that there was a man starving to death on the outskirts of the town. The physician went 
to the place indicated, but he had some difficulty in locating the man, as no one would 
go with him, all being frightened at what they called the fire man. "Is there anything curi- 
ous about me?" the man immediately asked the doctor. "The people all shun me as they 
would the Evil one, and say I am the fire man. Shut the door and look at me." The doc- 
tor closed the door and windows, so that the room became perfectly dark, and then he 
saw that the man's face gave out light. The doctors say that there are a number of in- 
stances of luminous countenance, caused by electricity. These of course are only inter- 
esting exceptions, but it is possible for every one of us to have luminous souls that shall 
give forth a sweet and beautiful light that will not frighten people, but charm and bless 
them wherever we go. Christ designed that His people should be radiant; He said to His 
disciples that they were to be "the light of the world," and we should all reflect the light 
of our Lord. 

18 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

THE POWER OF SYMPATHY. 5 

A physician who has reached great professional renown tells every young doctor in 
whom he feels an interest that cheering conversation, a hearty manner, awakening a 
patient's thoughts to other things than his malady, and other qualities supposed to make 
him popular are all very well in their way, but useless unless one thing more is added to 
them. No doctor should ever fail to^ return to the subject of his patient's illness before he 
leaves him. That should be the last subject he talks about. Without that addition to the 
other blandishments of a sick-room manner he will never get the full benefit of them. The 
sick man, or the sick woman, likes to believe that his or her illness is the most absorbing 
thing, and to realize that the doctor is thinking more of that than of anything else. If this 
is neglected the patient's thoughts are much inclined to dwell on what seems a slight neglect 
or indifference, and to a sick man that may assume importance. Cheerful talking about 
other matters is all very helpful in its way, but it is necessary always to get back to the 
source of the patient's chief interest in the end. All of us who seek to comfort people, and 
every Christian should be a comforter from God, may get a hint from this wise physician. 
To comfort others we must put ourselves in their place and make them feel that we realize 
their position, and have a heart overflowing with sympathy for them. 

WAYSIDE DEEDS OF MERCY. 6 

I went the other day to the funeral of a good v^roman. She was the widow of a minister 
who had preceded her to the heavenly world. She was not a brilliant woman, but one of 
those sweet, loving natures that go singing their way through all the burdens and sorrows 
of life, cheering up everybody they meet. This is the story that a successful young man 
of business with a brilliant prospect before him, told of her on the day of her funeral. Said 
he: "Three years ago I was out of work, out of money and tired nearly to death. I came 
into a little town, and, hungry and worn out, I lay down in a yard in front of the village 
church. While I lay there resting in the shade, a sweet-faced, motherly-looking woman 
came out on the porch of a little house across the street to water her flowers. Hungry as I 
was, I was hungrier yet to have some one speak kindly to me, and to come into friendly 
relations with some one. Obeying a sudden impulse I got up, went across the street, and 
asked for a drink of water. She brought it to me in the most gracious manner possible, and 
then evidently seeing how tired I looked, asked me to take a seat. With great delicacy she 
drew out my story until I told her all that was in my heart. - She took me into her dining 
room, gave me a meal as gently as she would have served her own son, and then after 
praying for me, and encouraging me, she made me take a little help, and I went on my way 
like a new man. All that I am, and hope to be, I owe to that hour's kindness received from 
that good woman." The young man came to the city of Cleveland, got work, showed ex- 
cellent qualities in business, has been rapidly promoted and has every prospect of a fine 
success. What a blessed thing it is to be on the alert to give a "cup of cold water" when 
it is needed, and in the right spirit. 

THROW OUT THE LIFE LINE. 7 

There are no more heroic men living than the brave veterans who man the life-saving 

stations along our sea coast. They are the men who fight the greatest battles of modern 

^9 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

times. In a single storm that swept the Atlantic coast last November, more lives were lost 
than were killed in battle on the American side during the entire progress of the war with 
Spain. The life-saver must possess virtues of the highest order; he must have courage, 
skill, good judgment, and discipline. He is exposed to danger and hardship in his ordinary- 
line of duty, and must be ever ready to struggle with wind, weather and sea, under the 
worst conditions. In order to meet the requirements upon him he must keep himself in 
first-class form always. If that is true of the man who seeks to save men from drowning, 
how much truer it ought to be of the men and women who are seeking to save their fel- 
lows from being overwhelmed by the sins and sorrows of life. We should certainly seek 
to keep ourselves always in the best spiritual form. We can only do that by feeding on 
the Bread of Life, keeping fellowship with Christ, and disciplining ourselves by daily 
service of our fellow men. 

THE SWARMING OF THE BEES. 8 

It is supposed that the honey bee was not native to America, but was brought to Flor- 
ida by the early Spanish settlers. Jonathan Carver, an Englishman, explored Wisconsin 
and the great adjacent wooded regions in 1766 and '(i^, and published a book soon after- 
v/ards in which he mentioned the commonest insects discovered by him with great care, 
but in what afterwards was so great a bee territory, he found no honey bees at that time. 
A recent expert in such matters says that the honey bee was first noticed by white men in 
Kentucky in 1780 and west of the Mississippi in 1797. At the present day the industrious 
little honey gatherer is scattered over all parts of the country. The spreading of the 
Gospel is well illustrated by the spreading of the honey bees. We are to gather sweetness 
and yield it wherever we go, and the Christian church is to swarm and fly on and on, until 
its hives yield honey for all the world. 

SHAM STRENGTH. 9 

The story is told of a man who after five attempts to get into the United States regular 
army, has at last been accepted. He was examined in the morning, and was found to be 
four pounds under weight. He was told to drink as much water as his stomach would 
comfortably hold and return after dinner. His weight was satisfactory at the afternoon 
examination and he was accepted. There are a good many men trying to get through the 
world on merit as poor as that. As such weight would soon vanish away, so all shams 
and humbugs will fail, and only real character and strength will stand their ground in 
the inevitable tests of life. 

THE ADVANCE OF CIVILIZATION. 10 

At last, it seems there is a fair chance of bull fights being put a stop to at Aries, France. 
The last which took place there, a little while ago, led to so strong a protest on the part 
of the majority of the women present that it does not seem probable that another exhi- 
bition of this sort will take place in the ancient arena. It seems that on this occasion 
no fewer than three horses were done to death under the most horrible circumstances. 

20 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

The wife of Frederick Mistral, a distinguished French poet, rose in her seat and loudly- 
denounced the spectacle "as inhuman and barbarous in the extreme." A few years ago 
she would have been hissed, but now she was applauded to the echo, and as a result nearly 
every woman immediately afterwards left the arena. The outlook on humanity is often 
discouraging, and as the tide ebbs and flows we are often tempted to believe that the world 
is getting worse, but if we take observations with reference to a definite period of time, 
we see that steadily the tide of goodness is rising among men; that the brute is being 
put under foot, and slowly but surel}-- the Christ is coming to dominate the human heart. 

KINDNESS TO LITTLE CREATURES. n 

James Russell Lowell had a tube laid from the water main in the street in front of his 
house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for supplying wath fresh water a dish intended to 
hold refreshment for squirrels and birds. About his house the squirrels and birds were 
never allowed to be disturbed. In front of his bedroom window, the good poet rejoiced 
to see a pair of gray squirrels make their nest, and in his last illness he took great pleasure 
in watching their gambols in their elm tree home. Many of the greatest men and women 
that have ever lived have had this spirit of kindness toward birds and animals. The de- 
velopment of such a spirit cannot fail to broaden and mellow the heart and litv. 

MOTHER LOVE. 12 

From a garden window in Twickenham, England, this little tragedy, which yet escaped 
being a tragedy, was witnessed : A nest of black birds had flown one morning and one of 
the young birds had decided to explore under some shrubs growing in the garden. A 
prowling cat sprang after the bird, and would have caught it, but at the same moment the 
mother bird flew down from a high tree growing just outside the garden, and, with ex- 
tended wings and uttering a remarkably loud cry, hovered around the cat's head, dash- 
ing itself again and again with open beak against the cat. By this unexpected attack the 
would-be destroyer seemed entirely balked in his movements, and both birds flew up 
safely into the tree. Courage born of love never counts the majority that is against it. 
The mother love in that little black bird was a spark from the great heart of Him of whom 
it is said, "God is love." Love is indomitable and invincible. 

GIVING PLACE TO WRATH. 13 

Discussing the awful disaster in Wisconsin, recently. Professor Garriott, of the weather 
bureau, says that when people see a funnel shaped cloud coming they should throw open 
every door and window in their houses, and then wait for the storm to pass over. He 
says that they will run the risk of course of having furniture and carpets damaged by the 
heavy rain that usually accompanies a tornado, but the house will not be carried into the 
next county nor be torn to pieces by the fury of the wind. The velocity of the wind 
causes a vacuum in the atmosphere. When the cloud reaches a house with all its doors and 
windows shut the four walls of the building must give way in that vacuum or the house is 
lifted from its foundation and is carried with the wind. When the destructive cyclone 

21 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

visited St. Louis a few years ago, many large and substantial houses were blown down. In 
the path of the storm were many frail houses, and sheds with plenty of ventilation that 
escaped without the loss of a shingle. That is on the same principle which Paul uses in 
his advice to us in the 12th chapter of his letter to the Romans, where he says, "Avenge 
not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath." Bow to it, as the willow bows to the 
wind. Throw open your doors and windows and let the storm go by. That is a great 
deal wiser than undertaking to bring about a judgment seat of your own before which to 
punish your enemy. 

FRAGMENTS OF CHRISTIAN GOODNESS SCATTERED ABROAD. 14 

There is a great petrified forest in Arizona which covers nearly one hundred square 
miles. The government explorers have christened it Chalcedony Park. The surface of 
the ground for miles and miles around is covered with gigantic logs three or four feet 
in diameter, petrified to the core. Many of them are translucent. Some are almost trans- 
parent. All present the most beautiful shades of blue, yellow, pink, purple, red and gray. 
Some are like gigantic amethysts ; some resemble the smoky topaz, and some are as pure 
and white as alabaster. At places the chips of agate from the trunks that have crumbled 
lie a foot deep upon the ground, and it is easy to obtain cross-sections of trees showing 
every vein and even the bark. The Indians of the Southwest used to visit this petrified 
forest frequently to obtain agate for their arrow and spear heads, and the material was 
scattered over the entire continent by exchange between the different tribes, from the 
Isthmus of Panama to Behring Strait. The great deposit in this forest explains where 
all the arrow heads of moss agate came from, and other weapons and implements of sim- 
ilar material that are found in the Indian mounds and graves of the Central and Western 
states. This is a good illustration of the way the beautiful graces of Christian character get 
scattered abroad in the world. Many people who are proud of their morality, and with the 
many charming characteristics of their lives, fail to understand that they owe these beau- 
tiful spiritual ornaments entirely to the existence of the Christian Church in the world. 
Many infidels, like the late Robert G. Ingersoll, talk eloquently about home, and friendship, 
and kindness as substitutes for Christianity, not understanding that these are only beau- 
tiful fragments taken from the great storehouse of Christianity, and could never have ex- 
isted in their lives except for that Christian source. 

WORKING WITHOUT SMOKE. 15 

It is well known among scientific men that the development of smoke can to some 
extent be avoided where steam is being generated with soft coal, if proper pains are taken in 
the firing. The employment of smoke-preventing apparatus has been attended with good re- 
sults in some cases, but it has been contended that it is unnecessary to resort to such de- 
vices. The development of smoke can be avoided if the coal is thrown upon the fire in the 
right manner, and certain precautions are observed with the draft. There are some people 
who throw off more smoke than they generate steam in their work, and there are many 
good workers whose usefulness is very largely neutralized because of the uncomfortable 



FISHERS OF MEN 

smoke of fretfulness and peevishness, and ill-temper thrown off while they work. The 
ideal way is to so do our work that we shall generate all the steam possible and throw no 
smoke into the faces of our fellow workers. 

PERSISTENCY AGAINST ODDS. i6 

D'Urville's gallant battles with the ice pack in the Ant-Arctic circle were worthy of 
a place in the world's greatest stories of heroic exploration. On his first voyage he en- 
tered a dense pack in latitude 6z degrees south, the whole field glistening like alabaster in 
the bright sunlight. He tried to force his ship through, but was hemmed in during the 
night, when, to make matters worse, a gale arose and he describes his ships as being like 
two stags in a high walled park, pursued by relentless dogs in the shape of fragments of 
ice. The snow came on, and the ships were butted and shaken by the battery of floating 
ice blocks till he had to choose between being jammed and snowed up in the thick of it, 
or making a dash for the open sea. Choosing the latter course, he cut his way out with 
levers and saws through a vast tract of ice, at the rate of only a mile in ten hours. That 
is the stuff of which heroes are made. The same kind of pluck and perseverence in any 
honorable career brings success and develops a strong and noble character. 

THE ROOTS OF LIFE. 17 

Let us never forget that the roots of life are in character. Reputation is what men see, 
but character is the unseen root upon which all the outer life depends. Some one has beau- 
tifully clothed this thought in a poetic garb : 

"A Wild Rose grew by the pasture wall, 

A beautiful shrub with branches tall, 

With wonderful color and rich perfume, 

A daisy looked up at her rosy bloom. 

'Of which are you proudest, Rose so fair, 

Of your stems or leaves or your flowers rare?' 

'Of neither,' said Rose with a graceful bend, 

*I am proudest of my roots, sweet friend.' 

'Of your roots? Those ugly things down in the earth?' 

Here all the daisies bent with mirth, 

And a bobolink swinging on a twig 

Sang and danced his loveliest jig — 

'Of my roots,' said the Rose, 'for they work away, 

Down there in the darkness, day after day. 

Contented if only the flowers blow 

Up here in the sun, while they toil below.' " 

AMERICAN SPIRIT. 18 

A recent writer in the Forum brings out with graphic force the great fact that what is 
known as "American Spirit" is a combination of -many mingled strains. This nation owes 
much to the English, to the English love of civil liberty, and to the sublime faith and 
undaunted heroism of English Puritanism; but it also owes much to the Dutch, to their 
thrift in business, to their hospitality, to science, and to the heroism which first established 

23 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

religious liberty in the world and opened the way for toleration of adverse opinion every- 
where. We owe also a great deal to people of other nationalities, but that which has pro- 
duced a distinctively American Spirit, more than anything else, has been the influences 
which these different peoples have exerted upon each other. No people can become Ameri- 
cans, even by living in America, if they are to hold aloof from the crowd. The American 
character is a composite one, the result of an intermingling — an intermingling which has 
been more complete upon this continent in the century just closing than anywhere else, 
or ever before in the world. If this is true, and it is certainly easily proved, any at- 
tempt to withdraw from earnest and responsible relations to the social, religious and 
political life of the people, and think only of our own personal career, is disloyal to the 
American spirit. This is a country of the people, and every citizen is under bonds to 
make his contribution to its wisdom and its strength. 

THE WASTE OF RESOURCES. 19 

Li Hung Chang, the Chinese Solomon, once received a present of a magnificent cake, 
which he had reason to expect contained poison. He put the cake aside and set to work to 
get to the bottom of the plot. He traced the conspiracy to three men, one of whom was 
certainly guilty. Li had the three arrested and brought into his presence, where he re- 
ceived them in his courtliest manner. The cake was produced, with the remark that 
politeness forbade his tasting it until the three generous donors had had an opportunity to 
enjoy its excellence. Li cut the cake and one of his servitors handed it to the unwilling 
guests. Each took a piece and ate, or pretended to eat it. One crumbled the pieces and let 
them fall upon the floor, but the other two ate calmly without manifesting any emotion. 
Ten minutes passed and the two men began to show symptoms of suffering. Li smiled 
benignantly and said to the man who had not eaten: "Your wisdom is so great that I 
aiii compelled to preserve your head as a souvenir to transcendent genius." The man was 
removed and promptly decapitated. To the other two the Premier remarked: "The cake 
that you are eating is not the one you sent, but one which I had my cook imitate. The 
poison from which you are suffering exists only in your imagination. I know of no way 
to cure your present pain except by letting you share the same fate as your friend who has 
just left the room." As they were led away the statesman said to his retinue : "It is 
a pity that a man who can eat a deadly corrosive poison with an unmoved countenance 
should so misapply the talent wherewith Heaven has endowed him." How often we see 
people who exhibit sufiicient skill and v/isdom, in a shameful and disgraceful way of life, 
and give themselves up with a devotion, and a self-denial to evil ways, that if it were given 
to righteousness, and exerted in an honorable career, would bring them to great fame and 
eminence, and cause them to be a conspicuous success in the world. It often costs men 
more to fail than it would to succeed. 

SPIRITUALISTIC FRAUDS. 20 

A few weeks after the death of the late Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll, a leading spirit- 
ualistic medium of Boston was announced to give a seance in Lyric Hall, New York City, 
at which Ingersoll would speak in the spirit. Between two and three hundred people paid 

24 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

an admission fee to hear the voice of Ingersoll from the other world. But the Colonel 
failed to appear. The conversation was delaj^ed so long that the audience became impatient, 
and some unruly ones threatened to have vengeance. At last the medium suddenly went 
into a trance, and in deep unnatural tones he began: "I am the spirit of the late George 
Chapman. I bring Colonel Ingersoll with me. (Here an elderly woman in the audience 
jumped up and exclaimed rapturously: *I knew they'd fetch him. Just give them time and 
have faith!') I passed out of this life eleven years ago. I bring the Colonel with me, but 
he's very weak; he cannot talk to you as he would like to. His voice is weak and you may 
not recognize him at first." After the spirit of Chapman had chattered away awhile, the 
medmm hesitated for a moment, had a few more contortions, and then said: "The Colonel 
won't be able to talk to you to-night. He has not been long enough in the spirit world to 
comply with the spirit laws." It seems almost impossible that the gullibility of human 
nature should continue to be wild enough to endure such things as that, at this, the 
dawn of the twentieth century. 

THE BELL OF DELIVERANCE. 21 

There is a bell hanging in one of the churches at Ladenburg, Germany, which has a 
very interesting story connected with it. A long time ago, about A. D. 1513, a young lady 
of the noble family of Sickingen was returning home to Ladenburg from a visit to a 
neighboring village. An unexpected snowstorm brought on darkness before she could reach 
the town. At that period there were still remains of forest in the wide surrounding plain. 
The mantle of snow soon obliterated the roads. In this condition of things, the young lady 
soon lost her way, and wandered helplessly about in the dark wintry night. In her distress 
of bewilderment and despondency, she prayed ardently to Heaven for deliverance. When 
hope had well nigh died in her bosom, she heard the peal of a bell. She hastened in the 
direction of the sound and as the bell continued to sound, she still followed till at length she 
found herself under the wall of Ladenburg. In grateful commemoration of this deliverance, 
her father. Count Hans von Sickingen, founded a charity of six hundred bushels of wheat 
to be distributed every year among the poor of the town, with the additional stipulation 
that forever after a bell should sound from that church tower at the same hour of the night 
that brought deliverance to the young girl. That was but a natural gratitude. How much 
more grateful should our hearts be as Christians who have been delivered from the bondage 
of our sins. If we are safe, and deliverance has come to our children and loved ones, 
gratitude for God's goodness to us should inspire us to ring the Gospel bell until every 
other lost soul shall hear and be saved. 

WASTING PRECIOUS TREASURE. 22 

Commander Todd, of the United States Gunboat Wilmington, who has been explor- 
ing the Amazon River, says that the only product of importance in the whole valley of the 
Amazon is rubber, and the status of this industry is a serious problem. All the river towns 
are depopulated at certain seasons, when the inhabitants go in their canoes to the network 
of tributary streams to collect the rubber from the trees. No systematic attempt is made at 

25 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

cultivating the rubber trees, and the methods employed by the Indians kill all the trees 
operated on each season. There is a comforting belief extant among the people that the 
supply of rubber is inexhaustible, and that the trees cover the whole of the Amazon valley. 
The officers of the Wilmington, however, learned enough on the subject to feel sure that 
there are no immense forests of rubber trees and that they grow singly or in small groups 
close along the banks of the stream. Commander Todd suggests that it would be the part 
of prudence for the governments of the various states in the Amazon valley to take meas- 
ures for preserving the forests and cultivating the trees in plantations, in order to guard 
against the serious results which would follow a sudden collapse of this great industry. 
One of the chief sins of ignorance is waste, and one of the significant characteristics ever 
present in the beginning of Christian civilization in a country, is the increased interest 
shown in the husbanding of resources. Heathen lands are poor, because they waste the 
good gifts of God in their ignorance. Christian lands are rich and are ever growing richer, 
because they in ever increasing degree learn to obey the command of Christ to "gather up 
the fragments tliat nothing be lost." 

GIDDY SOULS. 23 

Many persons who visit Niagara Falls find they have a great desire to leap from vari- 
ous points on the several bridges or from one of the numerous points of observation. For 
this reason, after once having experienced the fascinating sensation that coaxes them on 
10 death in the deep and rapid running waters, they never go near any of the seductive 
points without being in company with some one who will guard them from harm. There 
is something like that in soul experience to many people upon reaching the giddy heights 
of prosperity and success. Many men who have been reliable and conscientious in days of 
poverty and hardship have fallen over the precipice of dishonor by becoming giddy at their 
own prosperity. We should not forget that success has its temptations as well as defeat, 
and they are of the most subtle and fascinating kind. "Let him that thinketh he standeth 
take heed lest he fall." 

THE MOST PRECIOUS JEWEL. 24 

A vase cut from a single emerald has been preserved in a cathedral in Genoa, Italy, 
for 600 years. It is twelve and one-half inches in diameter, and five and three-fourths 
inches in height. Every precaution is used to insure safe-keeping. Several locks must be 
opened to reach it, and the key of each lock is in the possession of a different man. It is 
publicly exhibited very rarely and then only by order of the senate. A precautionary de- 
cree was issued in 1476 forbidding all persons to approach the priceless treasure too closely. 
An antiquarian advances the theory that it was one of the gifts made Solomon by the Queen 
of Sheba, and has written a book to prove his assumption. This is certainly a very in- 
teresting gem, but the most interesting jewel in the world is not an emerald but a pearl. 
Jesus says about it, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman, seeking goodly 
pearls ; who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had 
and bought it." 

26 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

SELFISHNESS OVERREACHING ITSELF. 25 

It is a curious quirk of labor leader logic which has led some self-appointed labor 
leaders to adopt as friendly to laboring men a scheme which for centuries has been re- 
garded by laborers as a mark of oppression, well nigh of slavery. These deluded labor 
leaders are asking the different city governments to pass ordinances restricting employment 
on the street railways to residents of the city of long standing, or, as in some cases, to 
men who have had experience in the city where they seek employment. The purpose of 
these attempts is, of course, to put the railroads at the mercy of strikers by preventing the 
importation of laborers from other cities. As a matter of fact, it would place on laborers 
a restriction such as Russia enforces to-day, and such as in the Middle Ages tied working- 
men to their homes and left them at the mercy of neighborhood employers. It is one of 
the great privileges of our modern freedom that the man out of work may seek it wherever 
it is to be found. One locality can not be reserved for one body of workers without wrong- 
ing others who have a right to enter it. "No man liveth unto himself.'" 

THE STAMP ON THE HEART. 26 

In making an excavation near an Indian mound at Marietta, Indiana, Professor Gilmore 
has found three ancient silver pieces, one a coin and the others shields, the three hanging 
together by a triangle of gold. The coin is the size of a dime; on its face is, a king's head, 
bearing a crown and sceptre. The reverse side is a cross with two bars, extending from 
edge to edge and in each angle there is a six-pointed star or blossom. The coins are sup- 
posed to be of Scottish origin, made at the time when the Romans controlled the British 
Isles. The human heart bears the stamp of the great king. It may be covered up and 
obscured by years of sin and folly, but if you dig deep enough you will find that the 
image of the King has been stamped there. It is the glorious privilege of the Christian to 
uncover these lost coins of the heart and bring them forth again to be of service in the 
world's advancement and of joy and glory to our King. 

COLD AT THE HEART. 27 

A battle with real snowballs took place in a Philadelphia coal yard during last July, 
A driver of one of the wagons backed up to a bin and began to load up with coal dust. 
After he had penetrated a few feet into the pile, he ran his shovel into a bank of pure, white 
snow. He could hardly credit his senses, and thought he was dreaming until he reached 
down and made a snowball. With this he pelted one of the yard employes, and in a short 
lime clerks and all hands left their work and gathered about the snow pile, and indulged 
in a genuine battle. The explanation is that the bin was empty during the big blizzard in 
February and the coal dust was dumped in on top of the snow. The dust kept the snow 
from melting until it was uncovered by the driver. Many people are like that. They have 
been so hedged about by Christian influences that their outward manners and habits are 
very much like Christians, but at heart they are cold and hard. Their seeming Christian- 
ity is all on the outside. The heart has never been melted down by genuine repentance of 
sin and love for Christ. They need to hear and heed Paul's strong words, "With the heart 

27 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

iiian believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salva- 
tion." 

UNFINISHED WORK. 28 

Men are often discouraged because their work at best seems so fragmentary. Even 
men who had lived long lives seem to leave many a piece of work broken in the middle. It 
is well for us to comfort ourselves with the assurance that God watches over all the work 
and fits one life into another, and one worker follows another under his guidance. Helen 
F. Boyden sings this thought with great clearness : 

"Unfinished ! 'tis an echo still 
That haunts us at our daily task; 
, Sometimes we do not know God's will, 

Sometimes we do not dare to ask. 

Mayhap what seems so uncomplete 

Is finished in the thought divine, 
While self- wrought work laid at his feet, 

Is but an ill begun design. 

"There is no 'broken hour' to God, 
No 'interruption' in His plan, 
And if we take the path He trod 
We find revealed His will for man." 

THE GLORY OF LIFE. 29 

On the bell of a small village church in the east of Germany there is carved the figure 
of a cornstalk.The cornstalk has an interesting story connected with it. When the church 
was built the poor people had spent all their money and had nothing over with which to 
buy a bell to hang in the tower. One day, when the schoolmaster was going to the service 
he saw growing out of a crack in the old crumbling wall of the churchyard a green stalk of 
corn. The idea suddenly struck him that perhaps this green stalk of corn, on what we 
call the "snowball plan," which grows bigger as it rolls on, might be made the means of 
getting the coveted bell. He waited until the cornstalk was golden ripe and then plucked 
the small ears that were on it, and sowed them next Spring in his garden. In the Autumn 
time he gathered the little crop thus produced, and sowed it again, till at last he had not 
room enough in his garden for the harvest. So he divided the seeds among a certain num- 
ber of farmers, who went on sowing the produce until in the eighth year the crop was so 
large that when it was put together and sold, they found they had money enough to buy a 
large and beautiful bell, and they carved upon it the story of its origin, and the stalk of 
corn to which it owed its existence. The most glorious thing about life is its power to 
reproduce itself. If one had choice between a handful of wheat and a handful of diamonds, 
they would of course take the diamonds, but if that were the only wheat in the world, 
every grain of the handful would be worth more than the finest diamond in Queen Vic- 
toria's crown. The diamond has no power to reproduce itself, but that handful of wheat 
cast into the earth's bosom could be made to multiply until it would feed the millions of 
mankind with bread. It was a wonderful thing that Jesus said when He declared of His 
mission, "I am come that ye might have life and have it more abundantly." 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

THE STRONG BEARING THE BURDENS OF THE WEAK. 30 

One day last summer a thirteen-year-old school boy was summoned home from his 
boarding school at Linz to attend his father's funeral in Vienna. The lad was without trav- 
eling companions, and while waiting on the platform at Linz began to cry bitterly. His 
distiess was noticed by a lady in a first-class compartment, who summoned the guard and 
had the boy bi ought to her. She paid his excess fare for traveling first-class, and devoted 
herself to the task of comforting him and relieving the tedium of the long journey to 
Vienna, telling him that she, too, had suffered much from the loss of a parent who had 
died suddenly and unexpectedly in a foreign land. The school boy was not a little aston- 
ished at the end of the journey to learn that the kind-hearted lady was the Arch-Duchess 
Valerie, daughter of the Emperor. It is through such deeds we imitate Him, "Who was 
rich and yet for our sakes became poor." 

FREE WILL AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES. 31 

In England, if a man happens to inherit a peerage he experiences the utmost difficulty 
in escaping the honor. A few years ago Lord Coleridge, at that time a lawyer with a mod- 
erate practice, inherited the Barony of his father without, however, a penny of the estate. 
Lord Coleridge was at that time distinguishing himself in Parliament, and was most strongly 
averse, both on political and professional grounds, to assume his father's peerage. The 
law officers of the Crown, however, decided that he must become a peer of the realm, 
whether he liked it or not. He had no power of choice in the matter. Every man born into 
the world belongs to the royal family, as the child of God. It is possible for us, however, 
by rebellion to forfeit our rights as a prince of the realm. We may make ourselves aliens 
through our own folly. This is the seriousness, the solemnity of our free wi.. 

A FATHER'S LOVE. 32 

A traveler in the tropics tells of a native who killed a monster anaconda snake without 
any weapon, to save his child which was about to be destroyed by the creature. The ten- 
year-old boy was playing in the water when the serpent crept upon him, and had involved 
him in his coils before it was perceived. The boy screamed for help, and as the animal 
was drawing the coils tighter, the frantic father rushed to the spot, seized the anaconda 
boldly by the head and tore its jaws asunder. What strength there is in the figure used to 
describe God's tenderness toward His children, by the sacred writer, when he says, "As a 
father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him." 

PASSING KINDNESS ONTO OTHERS. 33 

The best way of expressing gratitude for kind deeds that have been shown us is to 
repeat the deeds, at least in their spirit, as we have opportunity, to others who may be 
blest by our kindness. There is no way that we can show our love and gratitude to a noble 
father, or mother, or to loved friends who have bestowed upon us great gifts of kindness 
during their lives, than to imitate their great example and pass on the comfort we have re- 
ceived in weary hearts that may be refreshed by it. Some one sings very sweetly : 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

"Have you had a kindness shown? 

Pass it on. 
'Twas not given for you alone — 

Pass it on. 
Let it travel down the years, 
Let it wipe another's tears, 
Till in heaven the deed appears — 

Pass it on." 

DOING GOD'S WILL. 34 

A fisherman at Douglas, Massachusetts, last year brought up on his line an old raw- 
hide case about two inches in circumference and ten inches in length, which, upon being 
cut open, was found to contain the will made by one John Coffin, dated March 3, 1646, duly 
signed and witnessed, and bearing the official stamp of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of 
England. How this will came to be lost and thus missed its purpose no one can tell. We 
know too well, however, what a fragile thing is the human will in achieving its purposes, 
except where it is in harmony with the will of God. The limitations of human power are 
reached on every side, but if we submit our will to God, and pray with Christ, "Thy will 
be done," we gather to our aid irresistible strength. 

SIN AN INVADER. 35 

In connection with the death of Sir Lambert Playfair, the story has been told of the 
way in which, when stationed at Aden many years ago, he heard of the presence of a 
French frigate in the Red Sea, whereupon he rode over to Perim and hoisted the Union 
Jack. The French government complained to the British of his conduct, and the British 
government referred the matter to the East India Company's officials at Bombay, who were 
at that time responsible for the administration of Aden. A clerk was ordered to look up 
Perim in the archives. On doing so, he made the astonishing discovery that Perim had 
actually been occupied in 1799, when Napoleon was in Egypt. The British force had been 
withdrawn as soon as Egypt was evacuated by the French. The company's officials there- 
upon made the triumphant reply: "We do not understand the French objection. Perim has 
been British for over fifty years. It was first occupied in 1799." And with this explanation 
the French had to be content. Man belongs to God by the right of creation and early occu- 
pation. Sin is an invader. The devil has no right to the human heart. When we ask a 
man to be a Christian we ask him to come home, to come back to the natural allegiance of 
the human heart. 

DANGEROUS CARELESSNESS. z'^ 

In a large office block in New Orleans, not long ago, a lawyer and a broker got into a 
discussion concerning the carelessness shown by responsible citizens in signing petitions and 
such papers without reading them. It ended by the lawyer offering to wager that he could 
get forty signatures of well-known business men to an absurd petition within two hours. 
The other accepted the wager, and they drew up a petition to the governor, starting out 
with a long preamble, the substance of which was that one of the most distinguished judges 

30 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

of the state was a menace to the public on account of his phenomenal stupidity, and wound 
up by requesting the governor to order him to be hanged immediately. Armed with this 
interesting document, the lawyer went the rounds of the block. He would come into an 

office and say, "Here's an invitation to Judge to deliver a lecture on Roman law, 

I want you to sign it. Shall I read it to you?" "Good heavens! No!" the other man would 
say, as soon as he glanced at the mass of writing, and down would go his signature. In- 
credible as it may seem, he got forty-four signers in less than two hours, and won his 
v/ager, which was based on forty. Out of the whole crowd he encountered only one man 
who insisted on reading the document before affixing his name. He happened to be a bitter 
political enemy of the Judge, and when lie got through he smiled grimly. "I'll sign that 
with pleasure," he said, "and I'm so glad so many other citizens feel the same way." But, 
leaving him out, there were forty-three intelligent men, lawyers, doctors, merchants, brokers, 
bankers, manufacturers, and other representative citizens who had deliberately but unwit- 
tingly signed a petition to hang a greatly honored Judge. When some of them heard what 
they had done they were highly indignant and it is to be hoped they were taught a valuable 
lesson. Many frauds go on their way without danger of punishment because of the indif- 
ference and easy good nature, which is really a species of laziness, on the part of responsible 
citizens. 

AN INFIDEL'S DEATH HE'D. z7 

The Omaha World-Herald, in a remarkable article written in the most kindly spirit, in 
which tlie writer pays a very high tribute to the kindness and gentleness that pervaded the 
home life of the late Robert G. Ingersoll, calls special attention to the utter hopelessness of 
Ingersoll's family at his death. The author of the article says: "Ingersoll never intended 
cruelty, but what a cruel result do we observe today in the Ingersoll home as a result of the 
Ingersoll teachings. In this consideration we need not manifest concern for the man him- 
self. But of what benefit was it that such a man as Ingersoll should live and be loved if 
existence and affections perished at his death ? What profit was it that such a man as Inger- 
soll should form human ties, rear children, teach them to love him with a love beyond 
expression, if death was obliteration to the best products of life?" There is no answer to 
these questions in the empty logic of the agnostic. Hope, Faith and Love is the Christian's 
trinity, of which Faith is the keystone. Remove it and neither Hope nor Love can find con- 
solation in the presence of death. 

MASTER THE CLOUDS. 38 

We are all of us largely masters of our own meditations and topics of thought. Paul 
knew what he was about when he named over a long list of beautiful and lovable and noble 
themes of consideration and then said with an arbitrary command of a general to his troops, 
"Think on these things." It is not necessary for any of us to give ourselves up to what is 
commonly called the "blues." We may by God's help compel our minds to look on the 
brighter side of life. Mrs. Farningham has good reason for her song; 

"Be master of the clouds, 
Let them not master thee; 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

Compel the sunshine to thy soul, 
However rough the sea. 

Be thou of good cheer yet, 

Tho' dark and drear the way; 
The longest night wears on to dawn, 

And dawn to perfect day. 

Thus shalt thou know the blush 

Of happy, radiant days ; 
For he who trusts God in the dark. 

Is taught new songs of praise." 

THE BROKEN HEART. 39 

Modern science shows that what has been said about the effect of violent strains or 
emotions upon the heart has facts to back it up. The most searching investigation shows 
clearly that the poetical fear of death of a broken heart is not pure creation of a romantic 
imagination. People do die of broken hearts, or rather of grief. Romance has it that Na- 
poleon, for instance, died of a broken heart, and it is true that the complaint that caused the 
great man's end would not have been so soon fatal had it not been for the depression result- 
ing from defeat. Medical science has recorded numerous cases where grief has prostrated 
and brought on physical disease and death. What infinite tenderness there is in the divine 
condescension which takes the broken hearts of men and women and heals them. The 
Psalmist says, "A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." And Jestis 
in his first sermon at Nazareth declared, "He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted.'' 

ABUNDANCE BUT NO WASTE. 40 

Until the present day the fresh water clam has stood for the synonym for all that is 
stupid, uninteresting and useless. But the long and peaceful repose has been rudely broken, 
and the despised clam is beginning to furnish the back bone of a new industry along the 
Mississippi River. The realization that the millions of clam shells washed up on the beach 
of the Father of Waters, may be turned to practical account is slowly dawning on the peo- 
ple. Already thousands of men, women and children are engaged in gathering these clam 
shells, and manufacturing from them pcc.rl buttons. The shells are made by the million, are 
easy of access, make a beautiful button, and the ^uttons are in constantly increasing demand. 
So it shall be found at last that God has made nothmg }<i vain. God is generous, He gives 
His children abundance, but there is nothing intended for waste. 

THE TIDES OF LIFE. 41 

Always through the ocean the raging tides are sweeping with flux and counter flux, like 
enormous arteries throbbing under the bright vesture of the sea. There are the diurnal tides 
that flow and ebb and pause and flow again continually, hung in space with the thrust of 
the sun and the pull of the moon they swing around the earth. But to us by the shore they 
seem only streaming currents of blue or greenish water. Then there are the greater tides — 

32 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

properly speaking, ocean currents — which have their bounds and frontiers, their apportioned 
cycles to journey, shores to scour, reefs to thread, islands to build, and unknown depths to 
traverse. Bliss Carmen, commenting on this, calls attention to the fact that there are tides 
of the mind also. Each individual mind might be compared to an insignificant rock pool on 
our granite coast It may be sleeping idly in the sun and thought to be at best the over- 
splash of a storm soon to become stagnant, to evaporate and pass away. But such a thought 
would be a mistake; each individual mind has somewhere out of sight a hidden passage of 
communication with the great deep eternally breaking down the shore. 

THE PURE HEART. 42 

In the Bahama Islands, which are of coral rock formation, the traveler may often see 
wells of sweet water within a few feet of the sea, that rise and lall regularly with the tide, 
yet are always fresh and wholesome to drink ; so perfect is the filtering alchemy of the coral 
earth through which the salt sea finds its way into the well. There are minds and hearts 
of this sort, able to keep always in close touch with the vast profound of truth, and able 
at the same time to transmit in some way the salt water from the sea of knowledge into a 
refreshing cordial for their fellow-men. Some people from out of the salt ocean of sorrow 
and trial are able to filter the sweetest comfort and sympathy, so that forever after their 
own great trials, they are wells of sweet water where fainting souls are made to hope again. 
Such hearts might be the fountain spring of that stream of which the poet sings : 

"Go forth and brighten faces, my stream; 

Who drink it shall not thirst again; 
No darkness stains its equal gleam 

And ages drop in it like rain." 

THE BURIED BELLS. 43 

A company of prospectors recently started out from San Diego, California, on a quest 
similar to that for the Holy Grail, or the Golden Fleece, and one which will probably be as 
barren of results. The expedition is one of search for the fabled three consecrated golden 
bells of the last mission of Santa Ysabel, in Baja, Lower California. The legend is that the 
famous gold placers of the peninsula, then a virgin field, produced the precious metal in such 
quantities that the strong boxes of the priests were soon filled to overflowing. The altar 
ornaments were of pure gold, cast in crude molds, designed and made by the monks. It was 
the reported richness that originated the first raids by brigands and outlaws from the main- 
land. These robbers had no compulsions against looting the mission treasury, foraging on 
its larder and orchards, and driving ofi: the flocks, but they are said to have had a holy fear 
of consecrated vessels. Knowing this, the priests cast their chests of virgin gold into 
chalices, crucifixes, baptismal fonts, and such things, until they had as many as they could 
possibly find excuses for, and still they had a large amount of gold on hand. Finally they 
decided to cast the remainder into the bells for the mission, and the legend has it that about 
750 pounds Troy, valued at $150,000 in gold, was cast into the three bells which rang out their 
sweet music on the day they were consecrated, with great pomp and solemnity. After awhile 
the mission was over-run by brigands and Indians, and the priests hid away the three bells 

33 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

and made their escape. Whether there is anything in the old legend or not, it is certainly 
true that there are many men and women among us who have been over-run by brigand pas- 
sions and lusts until they have hidden away in the deep caves of worldliness the golden bells 
of faith, and hope, and love, that alone can make music worthy of the human soul. When 
one becomes a Christian these bells are brought out again to sound forth the notes of heav- 
enly joy. 

CO-OPERATION. 44 

In the wreck on the Erie Railroad last July an impressive scene was witnessed in the 
efforts of the passengers and crew to save a part of the train from fire. Instead of the 
agonizing cries which usually follow a wreck an almost death like silence prevailed, and 
there was scarcely a shriek or a moan. The rear sleeper and two day coaches were saved 
from fire which had burst out in the front of the train, by all the passengers and train men 
working together. The rain was falling in torrents, and men and women worked together 
pulling the cars away from the burning wreck until their safety was assured. Great things 
can be done in a church where a hearty spirit of co-operation prevails. The Christian 
religion is peculiarly a religion of co-operation. The ratio by which power is multiplied is 
very great when good people work together for a righteous cause. It is set forth in the 
promise, "One shall chase a thousand, and two shall put ten thousand to flight." 

LIFE LONG DISCIPLINE. 45 

One of the distinguished officers in the war with Spain, and afterward in putting down 
tfae rebellion in the Philippines, has worn an army uniform since he was thirteen years old. 
At that youthful age he enlisted as a bugler, but at the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted 
in the Union Army. At the close of the war he went to the plains, where he won consid- 
erable fame as an Indian fighter. From a private in the ranks he has come to be a Colonel, 
and is honored as a splendid soldier. Youthful discipline always tells in every department 
of human life. Paul in his second letter to Timothy refers to the great blessing Timothy 
had enjoyed in having been brought up a Christian from his childhood. He says, "When I 
called to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother 
Lois, and thy mother Eunice ; and I am persuaded that in thee also." Those of us who have 
been brought up in Christian homes, and have had the blessing of discipline in Christian work 
from childhood, can never pay the debt of gratitude we owe to God for that great blessing. 

THE FOLLY OF ANXIETY ABOUT TO-MORROW. 46 

We should not be anxious for to-morrow, because in doing so we unfit ourselves for 
doing our work well to-day. The best preparation for to-morrow is a well lived to-day. 
Many threatened troubles are like clouds that threaten rain, but are driven off by the wind 
and are never seen again. Lettie S. Bigelow sings a very helpful lay about "The Troubles 
that do not Come." She says : 

"Of the hard and weary loads For grief that cuts like a knife 

'Neath which we bend and fall. There's oil of comfort and cure, 

The troubles that do not come And the Hand which binds the weight 

Are the heaviest ones of all. Brings strength and grace to endure. 

^4 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

But to phantoms of pain and woe Then take the meal that is spread, 

The lips of Pity are dumb, And go with a song on thy way, 

And there's never oil or wine And let not the morrow shade 

For troubles that do not come. The sunshir.e ana joy of to-day." 

KEEP THE SIGNAL FLYING. 47 

A wreck occurred on the Jersey Central Railroad recently because the danger signal 
was not seen. A coal train was stalled at the station and the conductor, knowing that a pas- 
senger train was about due, sent a train hand up the road with a red flag to stop the train. 
The man placed the flag on a stick and then returned to the coal train. The wind wrapped 
the flag around the stick so tightly that it escaped the notice of the engineer of the passenger 
train. The winds of worldliness will destroy your signal as a Christian or make it of no 
effect, unless you are careful to keep it waving. Let there be no wreckage because your 
signal fails to be shown. 

VISIONS OF BEAUTY. 48 

It is proposed at the Buffalo Exposition to have the most brilliant and startling electrical 
illumination that has ever been seen in the world. Niagara Falls will be transformed into a 
flood of fire. The seething, roaring torrent will be ablaze with all the hues of the spectrum. 
The idea is to erect a series of tall towers on both the American and Canadian sides of the 
river. On the top of these lofty spires, huge electric searchlights will be placed in such 
manner that they may be played on any part of the falls. It is presumed that a very dazzling 
effect will be produced when a score of these powerful instruments of illumination are 
brought to bear upon the rushing waters as they tumble irresistibly over the rocky ledge 
into the depths beneath. A constant change of colors will be used in the manipulation of 
the searchlights, so that now the falls will be like molten silver, again a flood of crimson, 
again as green as old ocean itself, and so on through the whole gamut of the painter's 
palette. The astonishing effect will be still further heightened by the use of electric arc 
lights in the Cave of the Winds, which will give to the water as it falls in front of it a weird 
phosphorescent glow. The power for this record-making illumination will be all within 
easy reach, as Niagara will itself be made to do the necessary work. When the hand of 
man on natural scenery can produce visions of such interest and beauty, what may we not 
expect of heaven, when the God who made Niagara shall illuminate the skies, to welcome 
the ransomed millions who have sworn allegiance to His Son. 

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NECKLACE. 49 

What is considered by the jewelers to be the most remarkable diamond necklace in the 
world, has just been completed in London. About twelve years ago the largest handler in 
the world of diamonds in the rough was instructed to begin the collection of stones for this 
necklace. This dealer is in London, and no where else could any one be found through 
whose hands enough diamonds would pass in a generation from which to make such a col- 
lection. The instructions to the dealer were that every stone must be of the grade known 
in the trade as a gem, that the color must be blue- white and each jewel capable of being cut 

?5 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

into the perfect form to develop brilliancy and fire. The collection of the stones was begun 
at once, and only a few months ago the last stone oi the lot was picked out in the rough, and 
they are now being cut and mounted. Although there was no requirement that this should 
be so, every stone, as it happens, came from the Sa^e African mine, and this, no doubt, 
helps to give them the evenness of effect which is one of tha most remarkable traits of the 
necklace. This wonderful necklace contains forty-seven stones which are valued at $150,000. 
But I know of a necklace far more valuable than that. It is described in the third chapter 
of the Book of Proverbs : "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth 
understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the 
gain thereof than jfine gold. She is more precious than rubies ; and all the things thou canst 
desire are not to be compared unto her.y Length of days is in her right hand; and in her 
left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace. 
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her : and happy is every one that retaineth 
her. * * * * y[y son, let them not depart from thine eyes : keep sound wisdom and 
discretion: so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck." 

DISMANTLED BUT SAFE IN THE HARBOR. 50 

A bark came into New York harbor last summer with all three of her top masts miss- 
ing, and her fore mast leaning over to starboard at an angle of forty-five degrees, but she 
had not lost a man, and she brought her cargo safe into the port. The log book had a fear- 
ful story to tell of a terrible night, when in the heavy rolling the fore mast gave way at the 
cap. The main top mast was pulled down with the fore top mast. The mizzen top mast 
held for awhile, but finally fell over. The fore mast looked as if it would go over the side 
any minute. A steel hawser was bent to it and the mast was secured after a hard night's 
v;ork. And so with only a fore sail the brave bark crept in toward the end of her journey. 
There is no use giving up in discouragement because we face the storm with tattered sails 
and many ambitions and hopes broken down. The salvation is for him "who endureth unto 
the end." If part of our strength is gone, let us make secure what is left. If some things 
we have dreamed are impossible to us, God has something else yet in store if we are faithful. 
If we stand by and do our best we shall come into the harbor at last with our precious cargo 
safe and sound. 

MINISTERING TO THE KING. 51 

The German Emperor recently received quite a shock. Like King Leopold of Belgium, 
the Kaiser loves occasionally to take a solitary ramble in the country. One day at Potsdam 
he had wandered further than usual, and at dusk found himself, dusty and weary, still a 
dozen miles from the palace. A country woman driving a cart overtook him, and greeting 
her politely, he asked her to allow him to take a seat in the cart. The woman looked down 
critically at the du!^ty and disheveled man, and whipping up her horse said, "Not me; I don't 
like the looks of you " Some distance ahead a mounted patrol stopped the woman and asked 
what the Emperor had said to her. "The Kaiser?" she queried in amazement. "What 
Kaiser?" Then, as the truth gradually dawned on her, she turned pale, gave a frightened 
look at the dusty figure coming nearer and drove rapidly away. How gladly the woman 

36 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

would have invited the Kaiser to a seat by her side if she had only known he was her king, 
Jesus says that the time will come, in the great Day of Judgment, when some shall say unto 
Him, "Lord, vhen saw we thee anhungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in 
prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall He answer them, saying, verily I say 
unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me." 

A DIVIDED PURPOSE. 52 

It is said that a farmer in Indiana discovered a strange freak of nature in his chicken 
house recently. It it a snake with two heads and two tails and is of two different species of 
snakedom; one head and one tail are those of an ordinary black snake, while the other head 
and tail are of the variety known as the cow snake. Back from the head of each reptile there 
is a growth of body about a foot long. Then comes a single body, about two feet long. 
This part belongs to the cow snake, and out of this grow the two tails, each about a foot 
long, one belonging to the cow snake and the other to the black snake. It was captured by 
the farmer in a novel way. He had been missing young chickens and supposed rats were at 
fault. One morning he heard a noise among his fowls and ran to the chicken house, where 
he found the strange creature writhing on the floor and the chickens huddled in a state of 
terror. The two heads had gone after the same chickep and each mouth was clamped on 
either end of the chick and neither would let go. It was this division of purpose, the warfare 
between the two heads, that brought about the creature's destruction. Many Christians fail 
in the same way. They try to hold on to the world with one hand and on to the Lord with 
the other. They forget the Savior's maxim, "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.' 

LIFE TOO SHORT TO WASTE. 53 

The story is told of an old farmer in Eastern Oregon who has an impediment in his 
speech. He talks eloquently, but he occasionally stammers. He went into the city of Pendle- 
ton, and went to the telephone to talk to a friend in Portland, several hundred miles away. 
When the talk was finished the friend at the other end of the line said: "Well, you seem 
to talk better since you went to Pendleton. You do not stutter anything like as much as you 
did." "No," said the Pendleton man, clear and straight as a bell, "a man cannot afford to 
stutter through a telephone when to talk costs seventy-five cents a minute." The man who 
appreciates the brevity of life and the immense importance of using his time here so as to 
get the best results in character and service, will know that it is worth altogether too much 
to waste in selfishness, or folly. 

LIVING LIKE PRINCES. 54 

The little King of Spain had been reading out to his tutor a sentence in the words, "She 
possessed in the highest degree the distinguished manners and grace of speech inherent in 
princesses," and to his tutor's amazement remarked, "That writer didn't know much about 
courts." "Why do you say that, sir?" "Well, look at that pair of princesses." One of his 
royal sisters, evidently dreadfully hot and sleepy, was sprawling over her desk, while the 
other, apparently unable to solve a difficult problem, was absently rubbing her eyes and 

?7 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

looking dazed meanwhile. His Majesty tugged the hair of one and pinched the arm of 
another princess, evoking some very strong and familiar terms of sisterly disapprobation. 
"There are distinguished manners and grace of speech for you," he exclaimed, regarding 
triumphantly the tutor. Christians should never forget that they are taken as examples of 
what Christ can do in human character. We should live worthy of our divine calling. Men 
looking at us judge Christ. 

WISDOM AND LOGIC NEEDED BY THE GOOD. 55 

President Adams, of the University of Wisconsin, said a bright thing recently, when there 
was a heated discussion at a meeting of the Alumni, in regard to college athletics. One of 
the strongest arguments brought against athletic sports was that they "savor of the pool 
room and the race track." "Why," said an enthusiastic anti-athletic member of the Alumni 
in President Adams' hearing, "I suppose that while the big football game was on between 
Chicago and the University last fall, in Chicago, half the pool and billiard rooms and saloons 
in Chicago were emptied!" The President looked the excited little man over quietly. 
"Well," he said, slowly, "and is not anything that will deplete the pool rooms, and the saloons 
a good thing?" The "Children of light" have great need to keep about them for ready use 
a good store of ordinary common sense. 

DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH HEAVEN. 56 

A correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette gives an account of a recent conversation he 
had with a prelate who is one of the inmates of the Vatican. Referring to the enormous 
correspondence of the Pope he said: "Do you know that every evening the mail brings to 
the bronze doors of the Vatican an average of twenty thouand letters and newspapers, to say 
nothing of telegrams? All the letters have to be opened, sorted and classified, while the 
newspapers are read and selections cut or extracts made during the night to be ready for 
perusal by the officers of State early the next morning." "And where does the Pope come 
in?" "He only sees what Cardinal Rampolla thinks necessary for his inspection." In other 
words, he knows only what they choose. Thank God, the humblest Christian may have direct 
communication with the ear of our Heavenly Father, without the intermediary of any one. 

TOIL SET TO MUSIC. 57 

On a railroad running into Philadelphia there is a brakeman who goes by the name of 
"The Singing Brakeman." This robust and humorous young man has a good baritone voice, 
and he sings the name of the stations. Sometimes in the air of "Lohengrin's Swan Song." 
and now to the bird music of "Siegfried," and again to some new popular tune, he sings out 
clearly the name of the station. The passengers look at him and smile. Sometimes they 
clap and cheer and even try to encore him, but he declines, saying he has his work to do, and 
can give no encores. Of course this is amusing, but it has its suggestive side. It is far better 
to be the singing brakeman than the grumbling brakeman. Far better to set our toil to a 
cheerful tune of happy music than go groaning and discouraged, turning our work into 
slaver} 



FISHERS OF MEN, 

ENTERTAINING ANGELS UNAWARES. 58 

The good Queen Margaret of Italy on one of her mountaineering excursions had wan- 
dered away from her attendants, arid had not only lost her way, but was both hungry and 
fatigued, when she saw a peasant's cottage in the distance. Making her way to it, her knock 
was answered by an old peasant woman whom she asked for rest and refreshment. "Come 
in, my dear, and welcome," the kindly old peasant said. The Queen entered, and insisted on 
helping her hostess to prepare the simple meal of milk and bread. When the belated at- 
tendants reached the cottage they found the Queen gossiping with the old woman and eating 
together with all the freedom of old friends, and it was not until some days later, when a 
handsome present arrived at the cottage, that the woman learned how she had entertained 
her Queen. Abraham had a similar experience in entertaining heavenly guests that came 
to him at noon in the guise of three weary travelers. We should meet all men and women 
with the hospitable spirit. 

CHEERFULNESS. 59 

A great manufacturer who is now very wealthy tells how many years ago there came a 
time when it seemed that he should surely fail in business. One day when a smashup ap- 
peared a certainty, he walked down the street very deeply depressed, but meeting an ac- 
quaintance, thrust his despondency away and greeted him cheerfully as usual. The acquaint- 
ance said : "Say, what makes you always look so cheerful ? Don't you ever have anything 
to trouble you at all?" "Oh, yes," said the manufacturer, "but to look blue doesn't do any 
good." "Well," said the other, "I tell you what I am going to do. I have got twenty thou- 
sand dollars lying idle, and I am going to get you to invest it for me. You are so well off, so 
lucky in business always, and so cheerful, I am sure nothing ever fails with you, and I want 
you to invest this money any way you please, and I won't even ask you how you did invest it." 
He took this man's money; it was just the amount he needed to make his business safe. A 
year later he paid the twenty thousand back with a generous interest, and his own fortune 
was on a secure basis. It was his cheerfulness that saved him. Cheerfulness is within the 
reach of every man who will give his heart to Christ and trust Him to guide him through the 
clouded maze of life. 

RAISING FLOWERS FOR PERFUME. 60 

Raising flowers for the manufacture of perfume is getting to be quite an industry in south- 
ern California. Some years ago a Frenchman went to Los Angeles, where he purchased 
twenty acres of land on which to grow oranges. But, instead of planting his property with 
fruit as originally intended, the Frenchman decided to devote his energies to raising flowers 
such as could be used for making perfumery. The venture proved a success almost from 
the start, and the profits on the extracts and essences obtained from the twenty acres of 
flower.* have during the last five years amounted to between fifteen thousand and twenty 
thousand dollars annually. Such prosperity is naturally contagious and many others are 
going into the business. Christ is seeking to turn every human heart into a garden of 
flower.9 that will fill the world-atmosphere with delicate spiritual perfume. 

39 



FRESH BAIT FOR , 

SEIZING AN UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITY. 6i 

It is said that the richest gold mine in Arizona was discovered in the most accidental 
way. A miner had been into a neighboring camp and had been drinking until he was on 
the verge of intoxication. He had wit enough left to know that he must get away at once 
or he would not be able to go. So in order to sober himself up he trudged out of town with 
his pick and began to dig at a certain spot, not knowing that there was any sign of gold any- 
where near him. He soon fell asleep^ however, from the combined effect of the dissipation 
and weariness, and continued his slumbers until the next morning. When he awoke and 
looked around him he was duly sober and began examining the rock and dirt he had removed 
the day before. To his pleasant surprise he found the bright yellow metal shining from a 
dozen pieces of quartz. He immediately accepted the situation and began to develop a mine 
which has made him a very wealthy man. I have known a man to come into a religious 
meeting without any expectation of getting good out of it, but while there he found himself 
suddenly aroused to see the heavenly gold there is in the religious life, and though he had ex- 
pected nothing of the sort when he came, immediately accepted the situation and giving him- 
self over to the divine influences that drew him heavenward, entered upon a new and happy 
Christian life. 

TEMPORARY FAME. 62 

A pathetic reminder of how soon we are forgotten is afforded by the removal in New 
Orleans of a statue of Henry Clay, which has for forty-three years been given a prominent 
position in the widest and most attractive avenue in that city. It was found to be in the 
way of the street car company and so is technically "removed," but no destination has yet 
been found for it, and the public does not seem to care. In 1856 popular enthusiasm there 
for the "Great Commoner" was not less than that for Dewey today. The erection of an out- 
of-door statue does not necessarily insure permanent fame. So long as it is not in the way 
a statue will be allowed to remain, even if its subject has been quite forgotten, as will doubt- 
less be the case a century hence with a considerable proportion of the statues of our National 
Capital and other cities of the land. It is not worth while for a man born to live among 
the immortals to make fame the object and aim of his life. True service to God and man is 
the one worthy object of living. That will develop within us a character that shall live 
forever. 

SEIZING AN OPPORTUNITY. 63 

"My chance has come," said Commodore Dewey to a Naval Captain with whom he dined 
just before leaving Washington to assum.e command of the Asiatic Squadron early in 1898. 
"You know, Farragut did not get his chance till he was over sixty, but he took it, and — " 
something interfered with the conversation and the sentence was never finished in words, but 
the rest of it reverberated around the world from the roar of Dewey's guns at Manila. And 
yet it would have been no opportunity for Dewey, if in the forty years previous service in the 
Navy he had not by faithful conduct and thorough devotion to his duty, built up a personality 
that was capable of filling the place. To do one's duty faithfully day by day on common- 
place occasions is the best way to fit ourselves for opportunity to do great deeds. 

40 



FISNERS OF MEN. 

MODESTY AND GREATNESS. 64 

It was noticed on the day of the great naval parade in honor of Admiral Dewey and his 
officers and sailors on the Olympia, at New York, that the officers of the fleet did not wear 
their showy uniforms. There were no gold epaulets, gold-bound beavers and clattering 
swords, aboard. This was by the admiral's order, and added only another to the many evi- 
dences of his modesty. A brother and the widow of Captain Gridley, who commanded the 
Olympia in Manila bay, were with the admiral as his honored guests during the parade. 
Kindness, modesty, and true greatness, go well together. 

DECEIVED BY APPEARANCES. 65, 

There is an old proverb which says "all is not gold that glitters." While that is true, it 
is also true that gold is often hidden in very common-looking stone. We need to be on our 
guard not to be deceived by appearances in this world. Genuine manhood and womanhood 
is often hidden under a homely exterior. Fanny Bennett sings a very suggestive little song 
about "Two Pebbles," which illustrates this truth: 

"I saw two pebbles on the beach. 

When the ebbing tide was low, 
The one was dark and weather stained 

And one was white as snow — 
The one was rough and crude of form, 

And one was smooth and round ; 
I took the white one, but I left 

The other on the ground. 

I saw a miner in his hut 

And harked as he discussed 
About a pebble that I watched 

Him grinding into dust; 
I wondered what of usefulness 

Such common stones could hold, 
And after while he showed to me 

Some shining specks of gold. 

So I have found that in the world, 

As men and pebbles go, 
It is not always wise to judge 

By what our eyes may show. 
I've learned some wisdom from the man 

Who with his lore profound 
Preserved the common stone, but left 

The other on the ground." 

SELF-SACRIFICE IN UNEXPECTED PLACES. 66 

A dweller of the southwest says there is one habit of the hot and hasty scorpion that is 
not mentioned in the natural history books. Though this insect has been considered the type 
of malignant spite, the female, at least, is not devoid of affection nor incapable of self- 
sacrifice for her young. She proves this by actually giving up her life to them. As soon 

41 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

as the young are hatched they cling, two or three score of them, to their parent's back, and 
at first she seems to move about as lively as ever, with the heavy load. Every one who has 
lived in the southwest, he declares, has noticed this ; but it is not generally known that while 
the young are clinging so closely to their mother they are really feeding on her. Weaker and 
weaker she becomes until at last she is unable to move around, and in a few days she suc- 
cumbs. The young never leave the body until it is but an empty shell, and by this time 
they have grown large enough to take care of themselves. God seems to have put this 
element of self-sacrifice into everything he has made, but he has specially endowed mother- 
hood with it. One of the saddest things one ever sees is a mother who has toiled and worn 
herself out for her children and when they have sucked her dry of all her strength they 
go away selfishly, leaving her in helpless poverty or loneliness. 

A USELESS SHELL. 67 

The arrival of Dewey was celebrated in Winsted, Connecticut, by the ringing of bells. 
To add to the happy noise, an old cannon, one which was captured from the Confederate 
forces during the war, was taken in hand to see if it could be fired. It was found to be 
'spiked. A hole was bored into it and a small charge of powder put in and touched off. The 
result was the discharge of an old shell from the cannon. It fell helplessly about eight rods 
from the mouth of the cannon. An effort will be made to trace the cannon back to its 
capture. The incident is suggestive of Christians who were once good soldiers for Jesus 
Christ and did valiant service for him, sending shells into the hosts of evil with devastating 
force, but through failure to do their duty, or worldliness, they are like this old spiked 
cannon and are no longer of any fear to the devil or any help to the church. 

WOUNDED BUT NOT DEFEATED. 68 

A tree was recently cut down near Raritan, New Jersey. In planing down the body of the 
tree the workman came upon a cannon ball. The wood and the imbedded ball were cut out in 
a neat square block and sent as a contribution to the Historical Society of the state. In 
the neighborhood of Raritan, there was a great deal of hot fighting during the war of the 
Revolution, and many trees were wounded, some of them being destroyed. This particular 
tree had recovered from its wound. Wood and bark had grown round the cannon ball and 
there was no sign to show that hidden in the wood was an interesting relic of the War of In- 
dependence. We should be like that tree. The wounds of life are certain to be met with, 
but if we are faithful to God and live with a lofty purpose, we may go forth though wounded 
to still do the duty that is before us. 

RICHES THROUGH LACK. 69 

It is said that Union County, Georgia, has a population seventy-five per cent of whom 
own their own Homes. Only one family in the county seat does not own its own home. 
The county does not owe a dollar in the world. What is the reason of this wonderfully rich 
and happy condition? It is because of something they lack. There has not been a barroom 
in the county for thirty years and it has not an habitual drunkard within its confines. How 
rich the whole land would be if it was impoverished in the same way. 

42 



FISNERS OF MEN. 

GIVING ONE'S SELF. 70 

When the volunteers and the veterans of the Spanish War passed the house of Helen 
Gould in New York city on the day of the Dewey parade, they took off their hats and 
marched by bare headed. The last company, composed of the Brooklyn volunteers, halted 
directly in front of Miss Gould and gave three cheers. Miss Gould stood up and bowed. 
The people took up the cheering. One enthusiastic young man in a loud voice exclaimed: 
"Who was the man of the war?" "George Dewey," replied the crowd. "Who was the 
woman of the war?" "Helen Gould," came the answer from thousands of throats. A 
stalwart policeman on duty at the corner said, "She deserves it. Look what she did for 
the .soldiers during the war, and what she did for the policemen and firemen at the Windsor 
Hotel fire." It is not the money she has given that has won the hearts of the people to 
Helen Gould. It is the way she has given herself in sincere sisterly devotion to help her 
fellows that has made her name a welcome one throughout the land. 

THE SPIRIT ALONE CAN MAKE ALIVE. 71 

An American minister, visiting the famous little town of Oberammagou, says that his 
disappointment was great when he sought the place of the Passion Play to see that the grassy 
plot where the pious country people formerly came and watched this religious festival in 
reverent wonder, was all dug out, and over the same a large steel frame' work was being 
erected, reminding one of a gigantic tabernacle or theater. The old stage is all that remains 
of the former place and even that may not be used again. The talk of the town is all about 
how many foreigners will bring dollars to the place next year. They have great anticipations 
and are making extensive preparations to accommodate the guests. He found feverish 
interest among some of the aspirants to be actors in the play. A committee consisting of the 
burgomaster and eighteen others has the selecting of these, and there is a great deal of 
unholy wire-pulling for the position. The man who had the part of the angel in the Garden 
of Eden and Gethsemane scenes the last time the play was acted, was found very much 
under the influence of the bad spirit of strong drink; nevertheless he was an ambitious 
candidate to be the angel again next year. Altogether the minister came away wondering 
if this great religious festival of centuries was not aegenerating into a twentieth century 
theater. Care needs to be constantly exercised that we do not lose out of our religious work 
the spirit of earnestness and devotion which alone glorifies and gives it life. 

A DOUBLE LIFE. 72 

A traveler in Borneo tells of finding there a great cave which was occupied in the day 
time by the bats and at night by the swallows. As he watched the mouth of the cave about 
sunset the first column of bats appeared and wheeled away down the valley in a long coil, 
winding over the tree tops in a wonderfully close and regular order. These were followed 
in less than a minute's time with another column, and in forty minutes, forty-seven distinct 
columns were counted, each about six hundred feet long by ten feet thick. It was esti- 
mated that over half a million bats flew out of the cave in less than three quarters of an hour. 
As the last bats flew away the swallows appeared in enormous numbers and all night long 

43 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

there was a ceaseless whirr of wings. Soon after dawn the next morning the bats returned 
and literally rained into the cave, while the swallows passed out in a counter current. Some 
people try to live a double life like that. To the outer world they try to make it appear they 
are as innocent as swallows, while underneath the bats hold revel. But as in the case of ''Dr. 
Jekyl and Mr. Hyde," the evil Mr. Hyde came at last into control, so the man who cherishes 
the evil in his life is certain to come at last to ruin. 

SWEETS IN THE FURNACE. 73 

A British steamship arrived in Philadelphia not long ago from Java, having experienced 
a most eventful passage. One week before Aden was reached, the coal supply became ex- 
hausted, and in order to keep up steam it was necessary to feed the furnaces a good part 
of a cargo of sugar which was on board. There ought to be a good lesson in that for men 
and women. When a man finds himself in trying circumstances he will always find that it 
will pay to use a good deal of goo3 humor and cheerfulness — a good deal of the sweets of 
life for fuel. 

THE RACE OF LIFE. 74 

We have had recently a great deal of interest in the international yacht race. It has 
been interesting to note at what great cost in time and money the recent race was prepared 
for. The Shamrock cost a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars and the Columbia a 
hundred and fifty thousand. The entire country was searched to provide flawless pieces of 
timber, and the best machine shops were put in competition with each other to supply 
metal fittings as perfect in their way as pieces of jewelry. Several men were brought from a 
distance merely to do the riveting; men who were artists in their specialty. The sails of 
these racing yachts are worth in themselves as much as an ordinary sailing yacht. The sails 
of the Columbia cost eight thousand dollars. In the case of the Shamrock the cost has been 
even greater, for the sails were woven to order from Egyptian and Sea Island cotton mixed 
with silk, and in consequence her big expanse of canvas cost a dollar a square yard. In 
addition the light sails of the yacht are of pure silk. In fact, it is estimated that it cost one 
million dollars to prepare for the recent yacht race. This ought to suggest to us the im- 
portance we should attach to preparation for the race of life. Young men and young women 
could get a great lesson from the yacht race. A rotten piece of timber, a poorly arranged 
fastening, or a torn sail may make all the difference between victory and defeat in that far 
more important race of life. 

REVIVING DEAD WELLS. 'jt^ 

An Indiana chemist has discovered a chemical process to revive gas wells and is having 
great success. He has taken hold of a number of dead wells and brought on big flows again. 
He uses a chemical which, lowere"d to the bottom of the well, eats its way through the 
Trenton rock, dissolving and cleaning out a cement which has formed in the pores, clogging 
the way for the gas to pass to the well. Another charge is put down with nitroglycerine on 
top and shot into the rock. It is claimed the revived wells are as good as new. How many 
Christians there are who need to be revived. It is not that their religious capabilities are 

44 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

exhausted but that some worldly cement has shut off the communication between the heart 
and God. Sincere prayer will restore that communication and cause the streams of spiritual 
life to flow forth again. 

FILLING THE WORLD WITH CHRISTIANITY. 76 

A Georgia farmer recently cut down a large hollow tree in which were two swarms of 
bees. One of the swarms had started in at the opening at the top of the trunk of the tree 
and worked down, while the other had begun al the bottom and worked up until they had met 
in the middle, so that hollow tree for thirty feet in length was filled with delicious honey. 
Every church in the communit}^ ought to begin to work among the people it has, whether 
they count themselves at the top or the bottom of the social fabric, and begin to make religious 
honey. Let us store the world with spiritual life until we meet on every side. 

THE DANGEROUS QUICKSANDS. 'jy 

There is a treacherous quicksand shoal in Delaware Bay on which a great many vessels 
have sunk out of sight after being driven ashore. A large British schooner with a cargo of 
coal struck there recently and within forty-eight hours the quicksands had opened beneath 
her and sucked her down out of sight. Sin is treacherous like that quicksand shoal. It is 
righteousness that is the solid rock. David understood this when he thanked God that he had 
taken his feet out of the mire and put them on the rock. And it is not wonderful that he 
found a new song in his mouth on that occasion. Every man whom God thus lifts out of the 
mire knows the same enjoyable experience. 

THE BACKSLIDERS PORT. 78 

Sailors tell us there is a dead spot in the Caribbean Sea. It lies midway between 
Cathagena in Colombia and Kingston, Jamaica. It is out of the steamer tracks and the action 
of the great currents going one way and another has left a space of stagnant water without 
any real movement at all. Anything that gets into "the dead spot" is apt to stay there unless 
driven out by some big storm, and will simply drift round and round, gathering sea grass 
and barnacles. There is "a dead spot" in the sea of religious life, a place out of the currents 
where a good many Christian people seem to drift. They don't give themselves over to 
serve the devil in any active way, neither do they serve God with any earnest enthusiasm or 
purpose; they drift about in the dead spot gathering barnacles of doubt and prejudice. It 
is a fearful fate to lie becalmed in such stagnant water, in an earnest world so full of purpose 
as this. 

REMEMBER YOUR TRAIN ORDERS. 7q 

An automatic electrical signaling device for use on railroad trains to prevent engineers 
and trainmen from forgetting train orders has been patented by an ingenious railroad man. 
There was great need for such an invention as a large per cent of the wrecks and accidents 
in railroading are due to the negligence of trainmen, unintentionally forgetting their train 
orders. There is great danger all the while that Christians will forget their train orders. 

4-5 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

Our orders are "to preach the Gospel to every creature," and we need to keep the heart alert 
to them that there shall be no wreckage of immortal souls because of our forgetfulness. 

THE DEVIL CAME ALSO. 80 

The Indian corn propaganda at the Paris Exposition and the Conventions recently held 
in the west in the interest of corn producers have brought out the fact that over twenty 
important products are now manufactured from corn. Nineteen of these are of real value 
to humanity, such as glucose, several kind of sugars, various kinds of starch, a number of 
different kind of gums, a substitute for rubber, and a number of food preparations. But one 
other product causes perhaps as much harm in the world as the other nineteen do good, and 
that is distilled liquor. There is something suggestive in the last use to which distilled 
liquors have been put. This is in the manufacture of smokeless powder. The liquor is just 
as deadly drank in the old way, but it works quicker and with less degradation when put into 
powder. 

SENSITIVE TO THE DIVINE VOICE. 81 

A discovery even more remarkable than wireless telegraphy is that of telephoning without 
wires between ships at sea. The invention is by Professor Russo d'Azar of Rome, Italy. 
Professor d'Azar has found that the approach of a steamer can be heard five miles away 
during a fog or storm. This is owing to the vibrations of her propeller, or the stroke of her 
paddle wheels being detected by the sensitive telephone receiver. Water is a better con- 
ductor of sound than air, and acting on that fact the inventor has discovered a method of 
detecting the churning of a steamers screw at a distance of several miles by the membrane 
of a telephone receiver, which is far more sensitive than the human ear. The whole matter 
is very simple. Two ordinary telephone receivers are attached to each side of a ship below 
the water line in a small box-like case. Each one of the receivers communicates by a separate 
wire to a telephone instrument on the captain's bridge or in the pilot house. When it was 
found that the presence of a ship could be ascertained by these means the inventor at once 
set to work to transmit messages, and hold regular communications between two moving 
ships. In the experiments thus far conducted this has been done by tapping signals by the 
Morse telegraphic code. These taps were distinctly heard on another ship at a distance of 
from three to five miles, and messages exchanged. Thus it will soon be possible for a 
captain standing on the bridge of his ship to detect, in the thickest fog, whether there is 
another steamer within five miles of him,, and by use of his sea telephone, to hold communi- 
cation with the stranger. Surely the world is getting to be a whispering gallery. This in- 
vention ought to suggest to us the value of keeping o r hearts sensitive to good and evil and 
sensitive also to the voice of God, who will speak to us through the thickest fogs of earthly 
trial if our ears are alert to listen. 

SYMPATHY FOR ONE'S OWN. 82 

The late General Judson Kilpatrick was caught in an emergency near Chattanooga, 
Tennessee, during the Civil War. The General with his cavalry division was outside of the 
Federal lines on a little raiding business. Being hard pressed by the Confederates, it was 



FISNERS OF MEN. 

necessary for Kim to ford the Tennessee River in order to escape. He knew there was a ford 
but did not know where to find it. Riding up to a plantation house, he saw a fine-looking 
old gentleman, with the ladies of his family, sitting on the veranda. He at once demanded 
that the venerable planter should lead him to the ford, which the latter positively refused to 
do. Thereupon General Kilpatrick told him that unless he complied with the request he 
would be shot in a minute. At this one of the ladies exclaimed, indignantly : "General, 
have you a father?" Kilpatrick replied: "Yes, I have, and a mother, too, and they have 
a boy, and that boy is in a tight place !" The General was shown the ford and his father 
and mother had the happiness of seeing him again. While we have duties to other people 
equal to those to ourselves, our first duties lie close, about us, and a man who does not care 
for his own household is the worst sort of an infidei. 

TRAMPLING A NOBLE INSIGNIA IN THE DUST. 83 

A curious story is told of the experience of the manager of a news agency who was 
recently visited at his hotel in Paris, about the time of the trial of Dreyfus, by an officer from 
the French Foreign Office. "I have come," said this officer, "to present to you Monsieur 
le Minister's compliments and to say that Monsieur le Minister has had much pleasure in 
recommending you for the Legion of Honor." The gentleman in question, while thanking 
the officer as the emissary of the Minister, expressed regret that he was not aware what he 
had done to deserve such high honor. 'It is not for me to inquire," replied the officer in 
retiring, and the gentleman heard nothing more for several days, when the same officer 
appeared at the hotel and said that he would endanger his claim to the promised honor if he 
continued to send abroad such telegrams concerning the Dreyfus case as he had been 
sending. Then he knew that what he had before suspected, that the famous Legion of Honor 
was being used as a bribe. It is pitiful when such things happen. More pitiful yet when they 
happen in professedly Christian circles. No badge of a Legion of Honor and no profession 
of Christianity can mean anything of worth unless there be real honor and real Christianity 
beneath them. 

SERVICE, NOT DISPLAY. 84 

We are told by military and naval officers that the thirteen-inch gun will have to go. 
It did not prove its utility in the Santiago naval fight. The ponderous sixteen-inch armor, 
too, will have to go. It was put on in a little patch on the side of the ship, as though all 
the guns of the enemy were going to aim just for that spot. The thirteen-inch guns didn't 
hit anything. In fact, the sailors say that it was possible to dodge a thirteen-inch shell. The 
new battleships are to be equipped with the eight and ten-inch guns which have proved 
themselves the most serviceable. It would be a good thing if^ecclesiastical circles could take 
the hint. A good many preachers famous for their learning and their scholarship are throw- 
ing shells at empty pews, hitting nobody's conscience and saving no souls. A preacher's 
usefulness is about ended when he begins to pose for a thirteen-inch gun, and try to preach 
great sermons. The world wants serviceable men and women who bring about results. 

47 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

SAVED BY MUSIC. 85 

When the Stella was wrecked on the Casquet Rocks in the English Channel, a boat load 
of the passengers left the wreck in such haste that they did not notice, until too late, that 
there were no oars in the boat. They soon realized that nothing could be done and that they 
were utterly at the mercy of the waves. Every heart sank and many burst into tears. But 
one woman with a brave heart tried to cheer the others. She was a fine contralto singer and 
had been recently singing in oratorios. In the darkness of the night she raised her voice 
and sang several of the songs from the "Messiah" and "Elijah." Her companions were 
soothed and quieted by the melody as well as by the words. But not only did it help them 
temporarily, it was the cause of their salvation. News of the wreck had reached the land 
and a steam tug had been sent out to pick up any swimmers who might be struggling in the 
water. It was so dark they could not see, but in a pause of the engine the crew of the tug 
heard the voice singing, "Oh, rest in the Lord." Immediately the course was set in the 
direction from which the music was heard and before long the boat was descried on the dark 
waters and its passengers were taken on board. But for that woman's singing the boat might 
have drifted beyond rescue. They realized the truth of David's words : "It is good to give 
thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High." 

GRATITUDE. 86 

The keeper of the wild beasts in the Philadelphia Zoological Gardens was cleaning out 
the outside cage of a great puma not long ago and had forgotten to lock the door between him- 
self and the inside cage where the puma was. Suddenly he turned around and saw the puma 
standing in the doorway blocking up the only means of escape. Slowly the great beast ap- 
proached him. He was in an agony of fear, but stood motionless. To his surprise the fierce 
animal meekly rubbed his sleek sides against his trembling legs after the manner of a large 
cat. It exhibited signs of recognition and pleasure and began purring loudly. He had the 
wisdom to act as though it was the most natural thing in the world that he should be patting 
a puma's head, and they were soon romping on the floor of the cage together like two friendly 
children. This is the explanation of it. The keeper had a little while before removed a 
tumor from the side of the puma. The puma suffered a great deal with it and seemed re- 
lieved when it was over. The keeper attributes the display of affection to gratitude for the 
operation which he had performed. A man certainly ought not to be behind a puma in ap- 
preciation of kind deeds. Ingratitude is surely the basest of all sins. 

THE BEST SWORD OF ALL. 87 

The sword which was presented to Admiral Dewey by the Government is a very 
beautiful one, and cost three thousand dollars. It is said to be the most exquisitely designed 
sword on the continent. With the exception of the blade and the metal scabbard it is made 
entirely of twenty-two carat gold. The initials are set in the head of the handle with dia- 
monds, and a delicate scroll work of oak leaves and acorns, which is the standard decoration 
for an admiral's rank, entwines the entire handle. It is a gift of which indeed any man 
might be proud. But there is a greater sword than that, which is within the reach of the 

48 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

humblest man or woman in the land. It is the sword about which Paul writes in that won- 
derful "armor chapter" in his letter to the Ephesians, which he describes as "The Sword of 
the Spirit, which is the Word of God." 

KINDNESS TO THE SUFFERING. 88 

In New York city there are great red newspaper boxes at the ferry terminals, on some 
of the elevated stations, at different points along Broadway, at the great clubs and some other 
places. These boxes are intended as a receptacle for newspapers and magazines that have 
been read through by their owners, and who are willing to pass them on to be read by their 
sick and suffering fellows. The appearance of the b®xes at the close of the morning rush 
hours bulging with newspapers and magazines and sometimes piled high on top, for the un- 
fortunates in the hospitals, asylums, prisons and various public charitable institutions, is an 
eloquent testimonial to the thoughtfulness of the people for those in trouble. Wagon loads 
of them are collected every day. In many of the hospitals and other institutions the arrival 
of the newspaper wagons is the event of tlie day. The papers are awaited eagerly, being for 
many the only glimpse they get of the outside world. H. C. Bonner has made one of these 
red boxes which is placed at the corner of St. Paul's church yard, famous in a poem entitled 
"The Red Box at Vesey Street." 

They who pass 
Under St. Paul's broad roseate glass 
Have but to reach their hands to gain 
The pitiful world of prisoned pain. 
The hospital's poor captive lies 
Waiting the day with weary eyes ; 
Waiting the day, to hear again 
News of the outer world of men. 
Brought to him in a crumpled sheet 
From the red box at Vesey Street. 

It is this care for others, and especially for the unfortunate, that the leaven of Christianitj 
shows its work. 

YACHTSMEN WHO NEVER SAIL. 89 

Around New York city this last year there have been a number of yachts which for 
various reasons have not been in commission. Nevertheless the owners and their families, or 
their friends, lived on board all summer. There are many people with all the capabilities for 
success who have the powers to make wide journeys on the sea of life who never spread 
their sails to the wind. Through lack of courage, or purpose, or high ambition, they lie 
ever-becalmed at anchor. When the tide goes out, or the wind blows, the boat may tug at its 
anchor chains, but it never sails. It is a sad thing to see these lives, meant for such noble 
deeds, for such rich enjoyment, forever anchored to the mud, and never sailing beyond the 
harbor. 

OIL ON THE WATERS. 90 

The captain of a British steamer which recently arrived in Philadelphia, tells how one 
morning he found himself in the midst of a tremendous storm. The waves were so high that 

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they broke clear over the bow and considerable damage was wrought to the rail and deck 
houses. With the advancing day the wind increased, and toward ten o'clock was blowing 
a northeast gale and they shipped some heavy seas. But at exactly 10:51 a marvelous trans- 
formation occurred. Just when the waves were apparently the highest and were pounding 
with frightful fury against the ship, in the twinkling of an eye the disturbance ceased abso- 
lutely. The captain said that it was impossible to describe the wonderful appearance of the 
sea at that moment. Astern of them vast mountains of water reared their white crests against 
the leaden sky, while directly ahead, as far as the eye could see, the ocean was smooth, not a 
wave breaking — only a long, heavy swell. A sharply defined line seemed to separate the 
tumultuous and the comparatively calm waters. For a moment the captain and his officers 
were nonpulsed. The aspect of the sea was, ^however, so peculiar that the captain ordered 
a bucket of the water to be drawn up. Imagine his surprise when he found that on it rested 
a thin scum of petroleum. Then the truth flashed across him in an instant. He knew he was 
sailing directly on the course pursued by oil steamers bound for Europe, and he presumed 
at once that there was no explanation for the presence of the oil other than that some tanker 
had either purposely, or otherwise, poured oil on the troubled waters. Every one of us 
have times when it is wise to pour oil on the tumultuous waves of human feeling. One of 
them is on occasions such as that indicated by the writer of Proverbs when he says, " a soft 
answer turneth away wrath." 

A BAD REPRESENTATIVE. 91 

News comes from Florence, Italy, that Michael Angelo's famous statue of Leda and the 
Swan, in the Bargello Palace^ has been broken to fragments. A party of workmen were 
making some slight repairs in the building, when this priceless work of art slipped and fell. 
This accident revives the story of the still more famous picture which Michael Angelo painted 
on the same subject. Statue and picture are curiously linked together in their history. The 
picture was painted first. In 1529 Michael Angelo paid a visit to Ferara. The Duke of that 
city T»'elcomed him with open arms, and when he was ready for his homeward voyage said 
to him jestingly: "Look you, you are my prisoner. I could easily detain you for the rest 
of your natural life. But I will suffer you to leave, on one condition — that you employ your 
earliest leisure in making something for me with your own hand, be it painting or sculpture." 
Michael Angelo answered that he would gladly repay his host in this way. Shortly after 
reaching Florence he began on a large canvas, the subject being "Leda and the Swan." It 
was one of his very few oil paintings, and critics unanimously decided that it was the best. 
Learning all this, and fearing to leave such a prize within the powerful clutches of the Medici, 
the Duke of Ferara dispatched one of the gentleman of his train, a proud and pompous 
personage, to visit Michael Angelo in his study. "Oh, this is only a trifle," said the pompous 
representative when he saw the Leda. "Are you an artist, sir?" asked Michael Angelo, mean- 
ing to intimate that only an artist could judge of an artist's work. But the proud courtier 
took the question literally. He felt insulted that Michael Angelo should not at once have 
recognized his exalted station in the world. "Oh, no," he answered, with ironical intent, 
"not an artist, a tradesman" — as though he would say — "thou old fool, I'll fool you to the 
top of your bent, I an artist? Well, well! Why don't you call me a tradesman and be done 

50 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

with it?" Michael Angelo saw his meaning and replied, dryly, "Well, Mr. Tradesman, you 
have done a bad day's work for your master today." And turning to his pupil, Antonio Mimi, 
he presented to him the picture that had been intended for the Duke of Ferara. Mimi took 
it with him into France. It finally found its v/ay to Fontainebleau, where it remained until 
it was destroyed in the time of Louis XIII. Every Christian is a representative of Jesus 
Christ who is seeking to possess that greatest of all pictures, the human heart. The saddest 
thing that can come to us is to so misrepresent Him that these hearts shall be turned away 
from Christ and be lost. 

STRONG THROUGH GREAT ALLIES. 92 

Evelyn B. Baldwin, an experienced Arctic explorer, who has just returned from the 
Weilman polar expedition, is firmly convinced that it is possible to utilize the great electrical 
energy of the Aurora Borealis. He relates how on one occasion he was with Peary in 
Northwest Greenland. A severe snowstorm was raging, and it was a pitch dark night. He 
was accompanied by an Esquimau dog driver. They were trying to make their way with a 
heavy load of walrus meat across the ice-covered bay to headquarters. They could not see 
the way on account of the heavy snow-fall which had obliterated the pathway across the ice, 
and they floundered about in a very uncertain manner. Presently they were alarmed by a 
terrible crash and a heavy thud, together with a terrified chorus of howls from their dog 
team. The dogs had fallen into the tide crack — that is to say, the opening between the edge 
of the ice and the shore. They had tumbled about six feet downward and in the darkness 
they could not see what to do. Suddenly from the summit of a neighboring cliff an Aurora 
of great beauty and power appeared in the sky and shed upon them a light so intense that 
they could see the smallest article of their equipment, and were enabled to extract the dogs 
from their dangerous position and to proceed in safety. Mr. Baldwin believes that this force 
is electrical, and that the polar regions serve as great reservoirs of it. He also believes that 
there are great and controllable currents flowing within the earth between the two great polar 
reservoirs, which it will be possible in the future to use to drive machinery or dispel the 
darkness of the night. We are very certain that a still more wonderful thing than this is 
true, that a man who has been caught in the mesh of sin and whose path of life has become 
blacker than the night, can by repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ, lay hold 
upon the heart of him who made the Aurora, and the light of salvation will make the way 
clear before him and lead him to perfect safety. 

THE FORMATION OF LIFE. 93 

Scientists tell us that the most beautiful masses of marble are but hardened and other- 
wise changed beds of marine sands and muds, containing, often, still recognizable fragments 
of the corals and mollusks of which they were originally composed. Inasmuch as these muds 
were rarely of pure carbonate of lime, but were often mingled with matter from seaweeds 
and animal remains, or with iron compounds, the result is that marble is not always white, 
but, if containing matter from plants or animals, gray, blue gray or even black; and if con- 
taining iron, buff, pink, or red. Thus that which seemed only to contaminate it, in the hand 

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of the Great Sculptor makes it the more beautiful. So in the building up of our lives many a 
commonplace day, many a bitter trial, many a sorrowful experience, many a humiliating oc- 
casion goes in which seems to mar the beauty of our career at the time, but in looking back we 
would not have that coloring taken out for any price. If we do our best God will take care 
of the result. 

THE EDGE OF LIFE. 94 

Mr. Frank Chapman says that the ideal place for birds is the edge of the wood, where 
field and forest meet and a stream is not far off. If an orchard be in sight, it is so much 
the better. It is near the edge of the wood rather than in the deep forest that the tree top 
birds, like Tanagers and Cardinals, grow most friendly and fearless. In and out, keeping 
the woods for a refuge, will flash the streaks of yellow, or red, or gray, which mark the 
tlight of these brilliant birds. And because of this he declares that the arcadia of the birds 
lies at the boundary-line between shadowy forest and sunny meadow — at the edge of the 
wood. It ought to be that way with human life. Life ought to get more brilliant and 
fearless until the last. It ought to be most beautiful so far as this world's view of it is 
concerned, as it gets close to the edge where the forest of earth comes close up to the sunny 
meadow of eternity. A life must be truly Christian for that to be true. 

CAUGHT ON THE BARBS. 95 

Strange accidents happen to birds as well as to people, and some of them are as unex- 
plainable as those that fall to our lot. A gentleman walking through a field found a meadow 
lark suspended from a barbed-wire fence dead, its throat pierced by one of the sharp barbs. 
The bird had apparently attempted to fly between the wires and, miscalculating the distance, 
had dashed against the barb. Who of us have not seen some young human life destroyed in 
the same way — some gay young soul that tried to fly between the barbed wires of sin and 
was caught and destroyed? Strange that men will not give such dangers a wide berth. It 
is better to keep clear of the devil's barbs altogether. 

THE POWER OF KINDNESS. 96 

Kindness and sympathy are as wonderful in their influence over birds and animals as in 
dealing with people. Many strange and beautiful stories are told of the late William Ham- 
ilton Gibson concerning his power to attract and handle the shyest creatures. Once, it is 
said, he went to a public library in Brooklyn to make a sketch of some rare butterfly, and had 
found a book of plates from which he was studying his subject, when, lo ! there floated into 
the great room one of the very specimens he desired to picture, fluttered down upon the open 
page, and at last rested with throbbing wings beside its own portrait. On one election day 
Mr. Gibson went to vote and as he was studying his ticket, there came in at the open door, 
no one knew whence, a stray pigeon, which flew at once to him, and perched upon his 
shoulder. He caressed it in his tender fashion and murmured to it and then it flew away, 
no one knew whither. Once as he sat upon his veranda, describing to a visitor the peculiar 
markings upon the wings of a certain song-bird, he suddenly arose, stepped to a bush upon 

52 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

the lawn and coaxed into his hand the very bird of which he was talking, and which he 
brought to show to his astonished guest. This same power of kindness and sympathy is the 
divinest influence one man or woman can exercise over another. 

LESSONS OF INDUSTRY. 97 

There is an old German child's story of a little girl who was told that if she could find a 
place to hide her first silver piece where no eye could see her, and then dance around it three 
times, she would have her wish. She sought everywhere for a place, but always some bird or 
squirrel or mouse or insect was near by, and even when she dug beneath the ground, there 
were little crawling creatures watching her. The little story was doubtless meant to show 
that animal life is found almost everywhere, and certainly beneath the surface of the ground 
there are hundreds of kinds of insects working steadily away at their different occupations; 
for whatever disagreeable things you may find to say about insects, you can never justly call 
them lazy. The wise man of the Scripture understood this when he pointed the sluggard 
among men to the ant to learn a lesson in industry. Laziness is rebuked by all God's 
creatures. 

THE MASTER OF LIFE. 98 

Mr. W. G. Hole has written a little poem in which he makes the plough declare itself to 
be 'the master of life." And it is well for us all to remember the truthfulness pf that. The 
sharp plough that cuts deep furrows across our plans, and disturbs our prejudices often seems 
like desolation to us, but if we seek to find its purpose and sow seeds for new harvests in the 
wake of God's providential plough we shall reap abundantly therefrom. Mr. Hole sings : 

I am the plough, 

Master of Life, 

Where my sharp coulter leads 

Ceases sterility; 

And. by my largesses 

Gladened and satisfied, ■> 

Follow the peoples ! ; 

Egypt and Nineveh, 

Rome and Assyria, 

Were but my pensioners ; 

I am the permanent, 

Still stand my kingdoms — " 

Still waves the corn fields — 

Seeming but slave indeed, 

Master of Life am I — 

I am the plough » 

THE GROWTH OF HABIT. 99 

John Burroughs, the great naturalist, and Jay Gould, the famous railroad wrecker, were 
schoolmates in their boyhood. Indeed, they were chums and sat side by side in the country 
school-house. Mr. Burroughs recently told the story of a wrestling match he had with Jay 
Gould, in those boyish days. As they were about even in strength, they agreed to abide by 
certain rules — taking what they called "holts" in the beginning and not breaking them until 



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one or the other was thrown. Jay Gould kept to this until he realized that he was in danger 
of losing then he broke "holts," and threw young Burroughs. When Burroughs complained 
to him that he had broken his agreement, Jay only laughed, and said: "I threw you, didn't 
I ?" That irritated Burroughs, and he kept arguing the original point ; but Gould only laughed 
the more. He had won, and it pleased him, though he knew he had won unfairly. The boy 
was evidently "father to the man," according to the proverb. In later years when he wrecked 
railroads he was living up to the same policy of that boyhood wrestling match. If you want 
an honest man you must drill honesty into the boy. 

A CLOAK FOR SIN. lOO 

India is said to be the great treasure house of the world. One of the jeweled treasures 
of the Indian princes, that of the Gashwar of Baroda, has been appraised by experts to be 
worth fifteen millions of dollars. Among his collection, his chief diamond necklace worn 
on state occasions contains the Star of the South, a Brazilian stone weighing two hundred and 
fifty-four carats, for which four hundred thousand dollars was paid, the whole necklace 
being valued at one million dollars. The masterpiece in his possession, however, is a won- 
derful shawl composed entirely of inwrought pearls and other precious stones worked in the 
most harmonious and artistic patterns, and which actually cost the extraordinary price of 
five millions of dollars. Yet suppose a man were dying in his sins without hope, what 
a mockery would be the sight of that jeweled shawl. There is only one cloak for sin and that 
is the forgiving love of Jesus Christ, which will cover it so deeply that it shall never be 
seen again. 

MASTERING CIRCUMSTANCES. loi 

It is related that just before the thousands of eager people crowded around Admiral 
Dewey to begin shaking hands with him, on the occasion of his reception at the National 
Capitol, President McKinley made a suggestion : "Don't let any man shake hands with you," 
he said. "You shake hands with him." Herein lies the secret of public hand-shaking. Any 
man who has ever stood by at a public function and has seen the thousands of strong men 
grip the hand of a public man and throw into their grasp all the enthusiasm and devotion that 
is in their hearts must have wondered that a human hand could survive the physical pressure. 
The secret of such survival lies in the President's suggestion. The man who understands the 
art does not let the public shake his hand, but he takes the aggressive and shakes the hand 
of the public. It makes a great difference in life whether you are shaken or whether you 
shake. It is all the difference between being the creature of circumstances and the moulder 
of circumstances. 

THE FASCINATION OF EVIL. 102 

Cyanide of potassium is said to be the most dangerous of all poisons because of a 
singular quality it possesses. It is in appearance so very attractive to those who handle it 
that they are often seized with an almost overwhelming desire to eat it. To one man who 
has a fondness for saccharine substances, it suggests sugar ; and to another snow newly fallen ; 
but to both it is so alluring that they may only overcome the temptation to put it in their 
mouths by great force of will power. The very men who make it and who are most familiar 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

with its deadly properties are pursued by an unreasonable desire to eat the poison, and as 
long as they remain in its vicinity this extraordinary craving endures. They know that to 
give way to the craving means death almost instant and horrible, and as a consequence are 
usually able to resist the strange temptation, but during the last ten years in one large 
manufacturing chemist's laboratory, four intelligent and steady workmen have committed 
suicide in that way. The owner of the plant recently said that many times when in contact 
with the cyanide fumes, he himself had been compelled to leave the work precipitately for 
fear of yielding to the deadly temptation. What a graphic illustration of the deadly power 
which sin exercises over the human imagination and heart. It also suggests the wisdom of 
keeping out of temptation as much as possible. It is great folly for men or women to 
thrust themselves into places where they know the dangerous fascination of their besetting 
sin will be felt. 

THE OLDEST COIN. 103 

One of the prized curios of the Philadelphia mint is a coin which is 2000 years old, and 
which was coined at the ancient mint of that other Philadelphia of the Far East mentioned 
in the Bible. It is still in good condition, and the inscription is perfectly legible. The design 
on the face of the coin bears a striking resemblance to the Goddess of Liberty of our own 
currency and underneath is the one word, "Demos," which means "The People." On the 
other side is the figure of Diana, with her bow arched, and the inscription, "Diana, Friend of 
the Philadelphians." When this coin was struck off Philadelphia was the most important 
city of Lydia. What an interesting story the old coin could tell if it could relate its wander- 
ings and the hands through which it has passed in the last two thousand years. But there 
is a more interesting coin yet, a coin at once older and yet new with every generation. It is 
the coin of the human heart. In many cases thi image of God has been largely effaced and 
it is sometimes hard to make out the inscription, but Christ, the great restorer of the soul, can 
make this human coin as bright as new. 

STINGING VEXATIONS. 104 

A fine horse was stung to death by honey bees on a farm in Maryland not long ago. The 
animal was turned into a lot to graze in which was a bench with eight hives of bees sitting 
on it. One of the hives was knocked over and in an instant the horse was covered by the 
bees. The excited creature became entangled in a quantity of vines in such a way that it 
could not extricate itself, and began to roll to get free from the bees which swarmed all over 
it. This only made matters worse and resulted in overturning the entire bench of eight 
hives, the bees from which completely covered the helpless animal. The horse lived only a 
few hours and died in great agony. Handfuls of bee stings were pulled from about the nose 
and mouth and eyes — in short, there was scarcely a square inch of the animal's body which 
had escaped a wound from the bees. Who of us have not seen men and women stung to 
death by small worries and vexations. Hard work seldom kills, but a strong man given 
over to petty annoyances can soon have the life stung out of him. Wider pasture room 
was what the horse needed to be safe from the bees, and a larger horizon with a devotion to 
a great purpose is the best way to free ourselves from the stings of small annoyances, 

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MANHOOD MORE IMPORTANT THAN PLATE. 105 

Some one has recently remarked that it is not very flattering to our National pride to 
know that the Presidential Mansion cannot make so brave a showing in regard to tableware 
as her Britannic Majesty's Embassy. When Lord Julian Poncefote brings forth his plate 
chest and spreads a state banquet the magnificence of the White House silver, china and glass- 
ware sinks into insignificance. The silver service which the British Government has fur- 
nished for its representative in Washington is valued at fifty thousand dollars. The weight 
of the precious metal is upwards of a thousand pounds, but its chief value lies in the 
exquisite workmanship which appears in full detail on even the smallest piece. The Regal 
Arms of England and beautifully traced flowers, birds and vines set off every article. The 
centerpiece is a marvel of the jeweler's art. It is on the order of a five-branched candelabrum, 
with golden leaves shining among silver flowers and enameled birds. Alternately there are 
receptacles for candles and tall slim cut glass vases for flowers. Connoisseurs have de- 
clared that this centerpiece is the handsomest ornament of its kind to be found outside the 
houses of kings. The china of the British Embassy compares with the silver in value and 
delicacy, and the glass is equally rare and costly. The total value of the tableware is 
upwards of seventy-five thousand dollars. It is all the property of the British Government, 
as is the magnificent furniture with which the Embassy is provided. Indeed, this writer 
declares that the home of her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador in the United States is so 
much more elegant and appropriate that it is really disheartening to contemplate the poverty 
and narrow confines of the White House. But I am sure that this opinion does not repre- 
sent the general opinion of the American people. The Republic can very well forbear from 
entering into a competition with the Kingdoms of the world in barbaric display. Manhood in 
the White House is far more important than silver plate or furniture. The Christmas 
story recalls to us the divine Lord who was cradled in a manger, and forever teaches us that 
the outer adornment of life is insignificant compared to the inner reality. 

LACK OF HONOR. 106 

A strange case has just been in the public press of a professor in an eastern college who 
was arrested for peeping into the windows of private houses. Many counts of such trespass 
were lodged against him. He admits his guilt and explained to the police before whom he 
was examined that it was a habit that had grown upon him. He said that constant study 
had aggravated insomnia. To relieve this he often took walks at night before he retired. 
He says that he was attracted by lights in windows and often peered in through the shutters. 
This peeping business fascinated him and the mania has been increasing on him for years. 
Whatever may have helped it on, one fact is certain that down at the bottom the real cause 
was the lack of a keen sense of honor. Children should be educated to a keenness of per- 
ception in regard to a sense of honor and trained to do the honorable and right deed, in 
secret as surely as in public. 

TUNNELING THE DISMAL SWAMP. , 107 

The Dismal Swamp Canal was recently opened, and a few miles more of work will open 

an inside water route all the way from New York to the Florida capes. The Dismal Swamp 

56 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

Canal was originally surveyed by George Washington, but for nearly a hundred years it 
had been in disuse. It is twenty-two miles long and passes through the most picturesque and 
historically attractive Swamp in America. The reopening of this canal is very suggestive. 
It is a good thing to tunnel all the dismal swamps of life. Some people found the way 
through their dismal swamp in youth by the divine aid, and used its cheery channel for 
awhile and then through worldliness and sin it fell into disuse. But Christ has power to 
reopen it. What happiness would come to many lives if that were done. Some people are 
confronted with a future that seems only a dismal swamp that stretches away into darkness. 
But a resolute purpose can by God's help cut a canal through the most dismal swamp that 
confronts any human life. 

STRONG ALLIES. io8 

In one of the great squares of St. Petersburg stands a magnificent column a hundred and 
fifty feet in height, erected to commemorate the reign of the Czar Alexander I., the ally 
and afterward the rival of Napoleon. On one occasion at a public celebration the present 
Czar wished to have the great shaft illuminated, and round lamps of an enormous size were 
ordered from a leading glass manufactory. After two or three experiments the workmen 
discovered to their consternation that it seemed impossible to blow the bulbs so large by 
the force of human breath. The blowers blew till they were utterly exhausted, but the bulbs 
remained far below the required size. A handsome price was offered to the first successful 
blower and the men renewed their efforts, but to no purpose. At last a big fellow, shaped 
like a barrel, stepped forward and quietly remarked that he was sure he could do the trick. 
The crowd laughed good-humoredly, but the man merely said, "I want to rinse my mouth ; 
it's dry." They gave him a cup of water. He rinsed his mouth, taking plenty of time, and 
then applied his lips to the tube. Slowly and steadily the ball of glass grew. Soon it reached 
the dimensions of its nearest rival. Then it became bigger and bigger until it approached the 
required size, which was finally attained. Then it passed it. "Stop, stop !" cried the crowd. 
"It's getting too big," and the foreman added, "How did you do it?" "Where is my money?" 
said the man by way of reply. When he felt the rubles in his palm an expression of genial 
satisfaction overspread his rough features. "Why, it's easy !" said he. And then he ex- 
plained how he had retained some of the water in his mouth, how he had gradually blown it 
into the molten ball, and how the expanding steam had instantly come to his assistance. 
So the men who refresh themselves with the water of life are re-enforced with spiritual in- 
fluence and power that make it possible for them to do deeds beyond the reach of unaided 
human ability. 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR AMERICAN YOUTH. 109 

Julian Ralph, the journalist, tells an exceedingly interesting story, the facts for which 
could never have happened in any country outside of the United States. One day a President 
of the United States sent for Mr. Ralph. He had been elected to that high office but had not 
yet been inaugurated. "I hear," he said, "that you have just come back from Washington." 
"Yes." "Did you go to the White House? You did? Well, please sit down and tell me 
all about it. What sort of a house it is? How is it managed? How many rooms are in it? 
Where does the President do his work? And how did you get in there — how do visitors 

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manage to see the house while a President and his family are living in it?" "Why," ex- 
claimed Mr. Ralph, "have you never visited the White House?" "No," said he, "I have only 
seen the outside of it. I have never even seen a President, or, in fact, any great man. But 
now that I am about to make the White House my home, I should very much like to hear 
all that you can tell me about it." That conversation is very suggestive of the possibilities 
before American youth. The highest successes are within the reach of the poorest and 
humblest who are willing to pay the price in hard work and noble achievement. 

THE FRIENDSHIP DEPARTMENT. no 

A Boston department store proprietor is seeking for a social secretary with novel duties. 
He wants a well equipped man or woman for whose services he is willing to pay twenty-five 
hundred dollars a year, and more if necessary to get the right person, to do nothing but keep 
in close touch with his working people and arrange plans for their good. He wants this 
secretary to represent him in doing what he has not the time to do in looking after the 
interests of his employees inside the store and out. More than all else, this secretary must 
become the friend of each man and woman employed, and a friend of their families. He 
proposes to thus make it impossible for any one in his employment to ever feel that he or 
she is friendless. There is to be one patient ear, alert eye, ready hand, and sympathetic 
heart, ready to stand by them against the world, if they are in the right, or help them back 
if they are out of the way. The mere suggestion of such a secretary in a big business house 
warms one's heart and has in it a suggestion of the good times that are coming to the world 
when the Christmas spirit of brotherhood shall pervade all business life. 

LIFE'S STANDARD. in 

Many people who handle the yard stick have but little idea of the years of study and 
experiment that were necessary to secure the standard yard measure. Bird, a famous 
scientist, made the first standard yard, in 1760, but the English Government did not legalize it 
until 1824. Ten years afterward, when the House of Parliament, in London, was destroyed 
by fire, the standard yard was lost and England was again without a standard yard of length. 
Sheepshanks next made a standard yard measure, which the English Government adopted, 
and, so that it could not be again destroyed by fire four authorized copies were made of it. 
One of these was deposited in the Royal Mint, another in the Royal Society, another in the 
observatory at Greenwich, and the fourth was embedded in the walls of the new House of 
Parliament. The standard yard measures which are owned by the United States Government 
are copies of the original, one of which is owned by the Coast Survey. The United States 
Naval Observatory has one also. The delicacy of its construction may be gathered by the fact 
that a change of temperature of one hundredth of a degree Fahrenheit has been known to 
produce a sensible effect on the length of the bar. The cost of the construction of the original 
standard yard measure involved the labor of Bird and his assistants for nearly six years. 
Sheepshanks was eleven years in producing the accurate copies which he made from Bird's 
original measurements. Christ is the yard measure for manhood. The cost of that standard 
of life is beyond all our estimate. Every life must stand or fall by that measure. Men who 
are tempted to be proud when they have been judging themselves by worldly standards 

38 



FISHERS OF MEN, 

become humble enough when they put their motives and conduct alongside the one perfect 
standard of life in Jesus Christ. 

THE TRUE LIGHT. 112 

There has recently been discovered a new illuminating gas called electroid which burns 
with a very bright white light. This new illuminant is composed of acetylene with the ad- 
mixture of inert matter and a proportion of oxygen. Its manufacture is of the simplest 
nature. The gas can be delivered through any ordinary gas main at the ordinary pressure, 
measured by means of gas meters, in the same way as where ordinary coal gas is used. 
The light is perfectly white and is equal to two hundred and fifty candle power as against the 
average seventeen candle power of coal gas. Christ is the light of the world. He is the 
true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. The glory of Christianity 
is that its pure white light can shine through ordinary human conversation and deeds and 
glorify the lowliest of lives. 

COMMUNICATION WITH HEAVEN. 113 

The imagination must be dead, indeed, that does not throb responsive to the thought of 
that wonderful piece of human workmanship, the modern ocean cable, that combination of 
wire and rubber which descends at the will of man into the vast void of the sea, and running 
its direct course over mountain ranges, across sudden abysses, of lower depth, through the 
turbulence of upbursting submarine torrents, until from continent to continent the connection 
is made, and man holds converse with man at his ease as though distance were naught. 
Strange that any man seeing this power of man to talk through thousands of miles of ocean 
void should doubt the power of God, who holds the ocean as though in the hollow of his 
hand, to communicate with the hearts of his children. 

POLISHING CHARACTER. 114 

The polishing works of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, are now engaged on the stupendous 
job of getting out one million dollars' worth of polished chalcedony, or petrified wood, to be 
taken to the Paris Exposition. This petrified wood is hauled from its native heath in Arizona, 
a distance of sixty-five miles, to a railroad, and then shipped to Sioux Falls to be cut and 
polished, that being the only place in the world having facilities for treating the petrification, 
which is seven-tenths as hard as diamond. It is shipped there in great logs and stumps, 
weighing many tons each, just as they have lain for countless ages during the process required 
by nature to turn the wood into beautiful and variegated colors of stone. The process of 
sawing the stone up in shape for polishing is most tedious, the huge machinery used for the 
purpose being able to saw only from an inch to three inches a day into it. After being cut 
and polished the stone is worked up into every conceivable shape, from cuff buttons to tops 
for center tables and great columns, which cost a small fortune. The polishing of character 
is something like that. It cannot be done in an hour or a day or a year. Many times a 
mother or a teacher gets discouraged at the slow process, but God looking on knows that it 
is worth all it cost and that honest effort of that sort is never thrown away. Though the 
work is often slow the results obtained, when character is really formed and polished into 
the likeness of Jesus Christ, is the most splendid thing in all the universe of God. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

THE DEVILISHNESS OF THE DRINK APPETITE. 115 

An old sailor relates how in his youth he was homeward bound from Santa Anna with 
a cargo of mahogany, and when off Cape Campeache one calm afternoon, leaned over the 
taff rail, looking down into the sea on the watch for fish. Suddenly a gloomy shade came 
over the bright water, and up rose a fearsome monster some eighteen feet across, in a 
general outline more like a skate than anything else, all except the head. There, what ap- 
peared to be two curious horns about three feet apart rose on each side of the most horrible 
pair of eyes imaginable. A shark's eyes as he turns sideways under your vessel's counter 
and looks up to see if any one is coming, are ghastly, green and cruel, but this thing's eyes 
were all this and much more. He felt that the Book of Revelation was incomplete without 
this monster, and his gaze has haunted him through all the, years since. Although quite sick 
and giddy at the sight of such a bogey, he could not move until the awful thing suddenly 
waving what seemed like mighty wings, soared up out of the water, soundlessly to a height 
of about six feet, falling again with a thunderous splash that might have been heard for 
miles. The sailor fainted with fright. The creature was gamboling in play, but it has never 
seemed possible for him to believe such awe-inspiring horrors capable of sport. The drink 
habit is like that devil-fish; it has feelers, long and far-reaching, that are cruel as death 
where they set their hold. It has eyes fiendish as the Evil One, and it destroys its multitudes 
while sporting with them. It plays but for to debauch and kill. That this deadly — the most 
deadly of all the evils that curse humanity — should be the associate of man's amusement, and 
strike him with deadliest blow in the midst of his search for enjoyment is one of the mocking 
things of life. 

CONDUCT'S DEPOSIT IN CHARACTER. 116 

A recent writer telling of the wonders underneath the ocean says that it would be an 
awful country to view if the floor of the sea should be suddenly exposed; a barren land 
of weird outline, without any beauty such as is bestowed upon the dry earth by the kindly 
sun. Its beauty depends upon the sea, whose prolific waters are peopled with life so abundantly 
that even the teeming earth is barren as compared with the ocean. But at its greatest depth 
all the researches that man has been able to prosecute go to prove that there is very little 
life. The most that goes on there is a steady accumulation of the dead husks of once living 
organisms settling slowly down to form, who knows what new granites, marbles, porphyries, 
against the time when another race on a reorganized earth shall need them. Here there is 
nothing fanciful, for if we know anything at all of prehistoric times, it is that what is now 
high land, not to say merely dry land, was once lying cold and dormant at the bottom of 
the sea and was built up slowly through the ages for our present use and comfort. Character 
builds up that way. As the inhabitants of the sea toil and struggle and build their lives into 
the growing continents, so every deed we do, every temptation we resist, every trial we fight 
manfully through, makes its deposit in character to help to build up a noble personality that 
shall after a while stand unblushing in the presence of God. 

BOLD BIRDS OF PREY. 117 

While stopping near the Rhode Island state line, recently, a traveler was shown a large 
clump of forest trees just within the border of that state, which was literally blackened with 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

fish hawk's nests. On making inquiry of a farmer he learned that the reason was to be 
found in the fact that Rhode Island alone of all the New England states protected the life 
of these great hawks by law. All up and down the line between Connecticut and Rhode Island 
are to be seen the result of this protection vouchsafed by the smaller state. On the Con- 
necticut side of the fence for miles and miles scarcely a nest of this great bird is to be found, 
while in Rhode Island the nests are everywhere, even in the tops of chimneys of abandoned 
houses. One may see something like that in the lives of men and women in any community. 
Two men live side by side, and one keeps strict watch against evil thoughts and imaginations 
and gives no rest for such wandering and malicious birds. The result is that the graces of 
the spirit grow and thrive in his heart. The other gives these devil's fowls a free chance to 
build their nests and rear their young in the secret places of his soul. The result is that he is 
over-run by these marauders and his heart becomes the reveling place for every evil thing. 

THE BROTHERHOOD OF PAIN. ii8 

A distinguished physician has recently said that so far as his observation goes, pain, physi- 
cal pain, is the great leveler. Be the form what it may — hunger, thirst, exhaustion, or the 
agony of wounded flesh, a given amount of it will reduce all men to about the same status. 
Christ made himself our brother indeed by taking upon Himself our human flesh and testing 
the experiences of hunger, and thirst, and loneliness, and grief, being tempted in all points 
like as we are, and thus perfecting Himself to be the Captain of our salvation through 
suffering. 

WRECKS AND WRECKAGE. 119 

Not long ago the Union Pacific Railroad Company determined to destroy its old and 
wornout freight cars. It had inspectors on the lookout and when a debilitated car of low 
capacity or unequipped with air brakes rattled by it was branded as condemned and was 
shunted off the side track at Laramie, Wyoming, which had been selected as a refuge for 
doomed cars. This process continued for months until the cars, averaging thirty feet in 
length, reached a total length of seven miles. These cars are being broken up into fire wood 
by the convicts of the state penitentiary which is near the place, and the scrap iron is taken 
away to the railroad shops to be melted up and worked into new railroad material. It is 
pathetic to think of those poor wrecked men working away on those wrecked cars. Nothing 
is so sad as human wreckage. Christ came to seek and to save poor wrecked humanity. The 
devil is a wrecker but Christ is a Savior, and the greatest honor that was ever put on any 
man is to give him the privilege of helping Christ in rescuing this immortal wreckage from 
destruction. 

ABSORBING INFORMATION. 120 

Once upon a time, it is said, there lived in Madras, India, a holy Brahmin, who wanted 
an advance copy of an examination paper in the Civil Service competitions for his son. So 
dressed in his white clothes he quietly entered the Government printing office, quietly sat 
down on the types when the printer's back was turned and as quietly walked home again, a 
living guide to knowledge, a walking dictionary. It is possible to keep the mind and heart 
so alert to spiritual impression that it shall sensitively seize upon every good thing with which 

it comes in contact. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

VICIOUS INFLUENCES. 121 

An extraordinary phenomenon Has been noticed with regard to the chestnut trees in one 
of the famous avenues of Brussels, since the installation of the electrical tram-cars. The 
foliage of the trees on one side the tram-way begins to turn brown and drop early in 
August; then they bud and blossom ag^ain in October. The trees on the opposite side of the 
tramway behave like ordinary trees, for they lose their foliage in the late autumn and do 
not put forth fresh blossoms until the spring. Botanists are inclined to believe that the cause 
of this singular state of things is due to the electrical current which passes under ground 
acting upon the roots of the trees. It will probably soon destroy their lives. There are 
many people whose deterioration in conduct is impossible of explanation by those who look 
on, because the fatal influence is at work underneath at the roots of life. We should be 
careful of the forces that have to do with the imagination and the thought, for there the 
roots of life lie. 

THE PETTY WOLVES. 122 

In Denmark a campaign against rats is being prosecuted with vigor. It was originally 
started in Copenhagen, where the alarming multiplication of the rats induced the municipal 
authorities to resort to a medieval method of freeing the community from beasts of prey. 
As a price was once offered for every head of a wolf, so the conscript father of the Danish 
capitol engaged to pay a certain sum for each dead rat. An official report of the statistics 
of slaughter has been issued every week since the opening of the campaign. In the first 
week the rat catchers gave in the heads of six thousand rats. It has increased every week 
until now more than ten thousand of the creatures perish every week. Other towns and 
communes have followed the example of the capitol, and the Danes are making a patriotic 
attempt to exterminate "The Petty Wolf," as some one has not inaptly named the rat. It is 
"the petty wolves'* of vexation and annoyance that rob us of the great majority of our happi- 
ness. Most of us nerve ourselves up to fight the lions and tigers of trial, but the little petty 
wolves that gnaw at us in the dark — they are what we need to look out for. 

PUTTING YOURSELF IN HIS PLACE. 124 

No man has made a greater success in recent years as a student of natural science, as 
well as a writer, than Mr. Ernest Seton Thompson, who has become the interpreter of wild 
animals in this country. One incident out of many illustrates his boyish ambition and his 
early perseverance. When he was a boy in London eighteen years of age, studying hard on 
technical subjects, he found himself in great need of data only obtainable in the British 
Museum. He applied for admission, but was refused on account of his age, twenty-one being 
the entrance limit at that time. He was greatly disappointed and applied to a higher court of 
appeal. He was directed to the chief librarian, who in turn referred him to the final tribunal — 
the Directors, who were no less personages than the Prince of Wales, the Archbishop of 
Canterbury, and Lord Disraeli. He addressed a letter to each one of them stating the fact 
that he was a serious student, seeking special information. After a suitable time of inquiry 
had elapsed he received a life ticket. Mr. Thompson has shown the same sort of pluck and 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

persistence in the investigation of the habits of the wild creatures that he has come to know 
better than any living man. The same qualities will bring about the same splendid results in 
every department of life. 

PLUCK AND RESISTANCE. 123 

When Mr. Ernest Seton Thompson entered his picture, Awaited in Vain, in the Chicago 
Exposition, it attracted a great deal of attention. The picture was the painted tragedy of a 
woodcutter devoured by wolves near the door of his cottage. This work had in it so much 
of the realism of animal ferocity that it brought forth a whirlwind of criticism, for and 
against. One critic Mr. Thompson is fond of quoting. "The picture," says the writer in 
question, "is painted entirely from the brute's standpoint." There is a good suggestion in 
that for preachers, for Sunday-school teachers and for all Christian workers who seek 
to reclaim those who have fallen into sin. You must be able to see life from their standpoint 
before you will be able greatly to help them. 

AN ALL-AROUND MAN. 125 

Arch-Deacon Brady tells some good stories of his experiences in the West. One of the 
difficulties in holding religious services in a new country is in getting people to ^mg in the 
services. And the Arch-Deacon had the same experience that has fallen to the lot of many 
a frontier preacher when he with the organist sung duets until the organist got tired and 
quit, and he naively confesses that he could not blame her under the circumstances, but he 
discovered one man who was the possessor of a remarkable versatile voice, and his courage 
was as high as his voice was various. They were supposed to have a quartette choir in their 
mission, but if any of the singers happened to be absent it made no difference with the music, 
for the man with the comprehensive voice could and would sing any part. He would some- 
times sing the soprano solo of the anthem and then immediately after sing the bass 
solo, carry a few bars of the alto part, and wind up with the chorus all by himself. The 
music never failed when he was there. An all-round man or woman in a church is worth 
his or her weight in gold. There is always demand for the good-humored, whole-souled, 
devoted Christian that is willing to lay hold wherever the help is needed without asking 
whether they are doing more than their share or not 

ATTRACTING THE MASSES. 126 

Sir Thomas Lipton, who has just attracted so large attention through his part in the 
International yacht races, owes his fortune to his own ability and pluck. Young Lipton went 
up to London with a borrowed capital of about five hundred dollars. He rented a small shop, 
spent one-half of this sum in purchasing a stock of tea — getting it cheap for cash— and the 
other half he put in a separate box to be used entirely and exclusively for advertising. This 
was before the days of great advertising and Lipton's friends shook their heads at his scheme. 
But the scheme worked to perfection. Marking his goods at the very lowest figures, he got 
ready for his advertising. He bought two of the fattest hogs that could be found anywhere 
in London, had them carefully scraped and cleaned, tied pink ribbons round their necks, and 
sent them waddling through the crowded streets, each led by a man dressed in pink, and 

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having between them another man carrying a banner upon which was inscribed the words, 
"We are going to Lipton's Pink Tea! Come along yourself!" The shop was crowded within 
an hour. The low prices caught the people's fancy, too, and business became so brisk that 
instead of serving behind the counter, as he had originally intended, Lipton was compelled to 
employ a dozen clerks to do that work while he attended exclusively to attracting the people. 
Many churches are running empty that might be crowded with people if the pastor and 
membership would use their heads in discovering methods of making the church attractive 
to the people. Many folks have yet to learn the lesson that it is just as important to get the 
people to come to church as it is to preach them the truth after they are there. 

THE UPLIFTED HEART. 127 

When Paul urges us to be "instant in prayer," he does not mean that we shall make 
long prayers or that we shall give up our time entirely to praying, but that we shall live and 
work all the while with the heart in the prayerful attitude toward God, an attitude of sub- 
mission and confidence in the Divine Will. Annie Linden sings this truth in a suggestive little 
poem entitled '^Resignation." She says : 

The saddest tears are those that never fall, 

But are held smarting in the aching eyes. 
The truest prayers can find no words at all, 

But flutter wearily to God, in sighs. 

We need not speak if with our hearts we pray. 

And by our living try to do His will, 
Who leads us gently in the Narrow Way, 

/Vnd when we murmur whispers, "Peace, be still." 

TPIE DREAMERS AND THE EXPERTS. 128 

When the Czar of Russia proposed to build the great Trans-Siberian railroad, the rail- 
road experts of the world declared that it was a visionary dream and could not be made to 
pay expenses for generations to come. But although not yet completed, it is already a huge 
and phenomenal commercial and financial success. Two years or more may be necessary 
before it will be possible to travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific across the continents of 
Europe and Asia without changing cars. But the traffic on that portion of the line 
already open is so altogether out of proportion even to the most sanguine estimates as to 
show that, in spite of the colossal sums invested in the enterprise, it will prove a paying 
undertaking from the very outset. The railroad has inspired the people to open up farms, 
and it has been impossible to get freight cars enough into Siberia to carry away all the 
wheat offered at the stations this year. The Czar's dream has proved a wise one. The 
dreamers often have the best of the experts, and the man who ventures out into a new field 
with an idea noble enough to be true, may depend upon inspiring multitudes of people to 
higher ambitions than they have seemed hitherto capable of. 

THE NEED OF PATIENCE. 129 

A laughable story is told by Chief Constructor Hichborn of the United States Navy con- 
cerning the first attempts to get men to work skilfully upon the minute parts of the models in 

64 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

naval ship building. A man was assigned to make the chains for the anchors of the Charleston, 
the first of the modern models made for the Navy Department. He received material and 
tools, and, with instructions as to how the cables were to be made, went at his work. Three 
days afterward he went to the Chief Constructor. "Chief," said he, "I want to be discharged." 
"What is the matter?" inquired Mr. Hichborn. "Well," said the man, gloomily," I don't 
like my job." ''Why do you dislike it?" inquired the surprised chief. "Well," exclaimed 
the man, "I started three days ago to make chains. I had finished up a lot of links, and left 
them on a paper on my bench. Last night somebody left the window open and the wind 
blew the links and the papers out and I can't find them. I want to be discharged." The 
chief laughed at him and asked him to go back and begin over again, but to see thereafter 
that his window was shut when he was away. We are all of us working on chains for anchors 
in the shops of humian life, and without care and patience we shall make a failure of it. But 
the stake is so great that we can well afford to be careful and patient. 

A HARMONIOUS PERSONALITY. 130 

Mr. Hamilton Mabie in his latest book, "The Life of the Spirit," has a very suggestive 
paragraph concerning the importance of the soul's culture from a purely personal standpoint. 
He says : To live cheerfully with ourselves is among the most difficult tasks which life lays 
upon us. When one thinks of it, there is something appalling in the necessity of spending all 
one's time for fifty^ seventy or more years with the same person. This inevitable companion- 
ship with ourselves, this necessity of seeing always with the same eyes, thinking with the 
same brain, doing work with the same faculties, passing through all manner of experience 
with the same temperament, makes life one long, monotonous imprisonment unless every 
resource for enlargement and enrichment is used. Mr. Mabie declares that it is blighting 
monotony rather than "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" which drives some men 
and women to the mad folly of suicide — that futile effort to break away from self instead of 
emancipating self. It would add greatly to the world's happiness and usefulness if young 
men and young women everywhere could get this message thoroughly inscribed on their 
hearts. An empty head and an empty heart insure a dull and tedious life. And on the other 
hand a nature full of warning passions and lusts insures a stormy life that shall meet ship- 
wreck in the end. A harmonious nature mastered by the divine Christ is the supreme ideal 
and within the reach of everyone. 

MISSING LIFE'S BEST GUEST. 131 

Since God is Love, and of all the graces of character love is the best and most abiding, to 
miss love is to be unfortunate indeed. Someone sings of such a loss : 

"Love stood upon the door-step. 

And twirled about the pin, 
And whispered through the key-hole, 

Ts anyone within?' 

But she was busy sweeping 

And dusting "high and low, 
And he his books were deep in. 

So they let him knock and go. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

Better the book unwritten, 

Better unswept the floor, 
Than such sweet and seldom visitor 

Turned from the thankless dc > 

EATING OUT THE LIFE. 132 

^Tr. Jacob Doll of Brooklyn, New York, who has devoted a great deal of time and at- 
tention in studying the habits of caterpillars says that their worst enemies are the Ichneumon- 
flies, some of which resemble wasps and other giant house flies. These flies have no archi- 
tectual genius of their own, and can be propagated only through the chrysalises of caterpillars,, 
upon whom they depend for material and labor, and upon the completion of the chrysalis 
they ruthlessly devour the builder. The fly lays its eggs upon the body of the caterpillar 
and when the almost microscopic worm is hatcel it bores its way into the caterpillar's body,, 
but with seeming intelligence avoids the organs which are necessary to the caterpillar's life 
until the chrysalis is completed. Then he falls to and consumes the pupa completely, and thus 
becomes proprietor and sole occupant. Many a time Mr, Doll watches a chrysalis for the 
appearance of some valuable specimen only to see a very common fly walk out. He once 
sent home from Arizona to a person who had ordered them three hundred chrysalises which 
had cost him great labor. Not long after he received a letter from the gentleman saying: 
"What did you send me? I have three hundred Ichneumon-flies and nothing else." Many 
sins are like that. A wicked habit will eat its way into the human heart and then little by 
little it will devour it, until it reigns in disgusting mastery. 

BUTTERFLY FARMING. 135 

Mr. Doll, the assistant curator of the Entomological Department of the Brooklyn Insti- 
tute, has raised more butterflies and moths from the tgg, chrysalis, cocoon and caterpillar than 
any other man in America, To his garden several of the large collections of butterflies owe 
their best and rarest North American sp^ecimens. There is something very suggestive about 
this kind of farming. The crop comes in an ugly caterpillar and often goes out a dazzling, 
beautiful butterfly. In the higher spiritual realm every man and woman ought to have a 
farm like that. The ugly trials and hardships and griefs that come to us should be so dealt 
with that we should hatch out the beautiful grace that God would bring to us through these 
homely messengers. 

BURDEN BEARERS. 134 

When Bismarck complained to the old Emperor of Germany about the woeful falling off 
in his physical powers, His Majesty broke in: "Tut! Look at me. I am much older than you 
are, Bismarck, and yet I am still able to ride." "Ah, yes," rejoined the Iron Chancellor, "but, 
then, Your Majesty must remember that a rider always lasts longer than his horse." There is 
a great truth in the humorous suggestion. It is the truth unwittingly uttered by the mob who 
railmg at Christ said, "He saved others but Himself He cannot save," Bismarck bore the 
uniting of Germany on his shoulders and paid for it in aches and pains, but it was worth the 
cost. 

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FISHERS OF MEN, 

THE WAY OF THE TRANSGRESSOR. 135 

The death of Lew Houck, the inventor of three-card monte and the cleverest card sharp 
in the world, has recalled many incidents connected with his swindling career. He was a 
very bright man and had ability enough to have made an eminent success in some honorable 
profession. He once made a trip to Europe and passed there as a wealthy and traveled 
American. He had letters, too, from Secretary Olney, Secretary Carlisle and other leaders 
of the American political world, which recommended him in the highest terms not only to 
the American representatives abroad, but to any friends of the writers who might meet him. 
And these letters were genuine. Their authenticity could not be doubted. Houck had a 
way of getting entrance into the exclusive clubs of Washington, Philadelphia, New York and 
other cities, and in his role of "gentleman of leisure" he had so imposed on gentlemen of 
high standing in the nation that they thought him all he represented himself to be, and 
gave him the letters of introduction that helped him to fleece the aristocracy of Europe. But 
though he made a great fortune in the course of his life of swindling, and is supposed to have 
taken in in this way over a million dollars, he died a tramp on the street in Durango, Mexico, 
and his widow in Ohio begged for funds with which to bury him. His old associate in 
gambling, known as Canada Bill, who had also made over a million dollars in wicked ways,, 
died a pauper in the alms house in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and is buried in a pauper's grave. 
Young men looking on are sometimes tempted to think that it is only the ungodly that 
prosper in this world, but God's word is true when it says, "The way of the transgressor is- 
hard." 

UNGUARDED CRADLES. 136. 

The little hamlet of House, situated in a wild spot twenty miles from Nice, France, at an 
altitude of eight hundred yards, has been thrown into consternation recently because a baby 
has been carried off by an eagle. The parents of the bab}^ had placed it in a cradle under the 
shelter of a shed before going to work in the fields. The eagle had been observed hovering 
over the village for some days and only a week before carried off a small pig from the same 
farmyard. A shepherd saw the bird swoop down and rise again with the child in its claws, 
but he was too far off to interfere. The rocks near the village where it was supposed the 
eagle had its nest have been thoroughly searched, but no trace of the baby has been found. 
There are other foes to the cradle besides eagles. From many a household the saloon has 
carried away the fairest one of the flock and continues in nearly every village and town in 
the land to gorge itself on the youth of our homes. If the people of House were to license 
this eagle to continue its work of feeding on babies they would only act with the same folly 
that Americans show toward the saloon. 

THE PROBLEMS OF MAN-FLIGHT. 137 

The Swiss newspapers announce the forthcoming launch of a new air ship over — not on — 
the Lake of Constance. The inventor is Count Von Zeppelin, a retired German officer, who 
has for many years studied the question of steering balloons. The vessel is over five hundred 
and fifty feet long and nearly fifty feet in diameter. It is C3^1indrical with conical extremities, 
and is divided internally by strong partitions. The hull is of silk, stretched over a skeleton of" 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

aluminum. The power is supplied by two motors placed beneath the cylinder, one at each end. 
The propelling principle is the ordinary screw. The inventor declares that his machine will 
be able to rise to a height of more than three thousand feet, travel at a speed of ten yards a 
second, and remain in the air for a week at a time. Man seems determined to fly. From the 
earliest ages he has been devising schemes for that purpose. This desire is prophecy that will 
probably be fulfilled. In the higher realm there is no doubt about this ability for flight. "They 
that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles." 

TOO SLOW. 138 

An engineer was taking through a special train consisting of four empty freight cars and 
a caboose. A station master told him that the down train was a trifle late, and due at the 
next station beyond seven miles away, at 2:37 o'clock. Glancing at his watch the engineer 
said he had nine minutes and decided to take the chance. He had to cross a bridge just 
beyond the town he was leaving, and midway across he began to increase his speed. As the 
engine struck the ground again on the other side and they headed straight up the river's 
valley he threw her wide open, and gave his engine every ounce of steam there was in the 
boiler. Three miles further on^ when running to the limit of his capacity, he struck the down 
train head on. Both engineers and firemen were killed outright, and the engines reduced to a 
condition that rendered them only fit for the scrap heaps. The watch of the engineer of the 
special when found was still running, and v^as four minutes behind. This told the story of his 
fate. It was to this error of his time-piece that the tragic death of himself and his three com- 
panions was due. Many a man comes to grief by being behind time. Promptness in doing 
one's duty on the minute is a virtue of the greatest importance 

A CASTLE AT AUCTION. 139 

A little while ago one of the most historic castles in the world was sold in England. 
It was the Chepstow Castle and is one of the five Norman castles built during the reign of 
William the Conqueror. This impressive ruined stronghold looks grandly down the River 
Wye and is regarded as one of the very finest of the ancient fortresses of England. It has a 
long, long story of warfare, bravery and treachery. It was the scene of many fights in the 
Civil War, between Charles the First and his Parliament, and when the Restoration brought 
Charles the Second to his throne, it became the prison of Henry Marten, one of the regicides, 
who was incarcerated here until his death. It is an example of how temporary is all the hold 
men can have on fame and power. The famous men who once took pride in this castle have 
long since given way before that arch invader, Death, and the castle which was their boasted 
stronghold is now in the hands of the auctioneer. The only real stronghold is in spiritual things 
over which death has no power. 

POWER OF MUSIC. 140 

A young woman suffering with a crushed arm was recently brought to a hospital in Cam- 
den, New Jersey. The arm had to be amputated and as soon as she had been put on the oper- 
ating table and quieted bv the use of an anesthetic, in a sweet soprano, evidently a trained 

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FISHERS OF MEN, 

voice, she began to sing hymns, and all through the operation she sang. Hymn after hymn 
was gone through, and not until the doctors had entirely completed their terrible work did 
the songs cease. She was wise and' fortunate in having learned these sweet hymns that she 
might sing them on such an occasion. It is better to go singing through life than to go moan- 
ing. 

COURAGE NEEDED IN CIVIL AFFAIRS. 141 

Helen Gould has recently issued a very earnest letter of appeal to the Spanish War 
Veterans to interest themselves in opposition to the admission of the bigamist Roberts to a 
seat in Congress. There certainly is no work which the veteran soldiers of the Republic could 
more appropriately do than to follow her request. The duties of civil life often require 
courage of a higher order than that demanded on the battlefield. 

WHITE COFFIN NAILS. 142 

Evanston, Illinois, used to have the best athletic teams of any high school in the coun^:^^^ 
But they have been steadily going down for several years and this year their football team has 
been a complete failure. The high school principal gives as the reason for it the use of 
cigarettes by the boys and young men in that school. The Principal says he has noticed boys 
who have come into the school bright, intelligent pupils, and seen them begin to fail both 
physically and intellectually until finally they were unable to carry their work and have left 
school complete failures. Nine out of ten of these cases have had their origin in the use of 
these ''white coffin nails," as they have been called. Parents and teachers and all having con- 
trol of boys should look out that these coffin nails are not driven into the bodies and minds of 
the children under their care before they have even had a chance to live. It is a suggestion 
also of the dangerous power of a little sin. 

QUEENLY SELF-CONTROL. 143 

Throughout her long and arduous life Queen Victoria has never failed to keep her head, 
to see things in their true proportion, and to maintain a wise, sane, and equable outlook on 
public affairs. This wonderful Queen, in spite of the thousand temptations which must have 
arisen during her more than three score years of sovereignty has never shown fussyness, 
irritability, over-anxiety, or any other form of distraction and want of balance. There must 
have been plenty of steps taken in home and foregn affairs, plenty of bills passed and policies 
adopted, of which the Queen has most heartily and strongly disapproved. Again, there must 
have been plenty of cases in which statesmen have been raised to power by popular favor, or 
dismissed from power by the fickleness of public opinion, in which the Queen has entirely 
differed with the majority of her people. But through all this experience she has kept her 
balance of self-control, alike in storm and calm. England owes her long and pure reign to 
this wonderful self-mastery. If she had given up to fretting and worrying she would have 
been in her grave long ago. Christ gives us power to be master in the realm of our own spirits. 

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NATURE'S INEXHAUSTIBLE RESOURCES. 144 

Already the world's pessimists are beginning to worry lest the supply of coal will give out. 
But a recent writer shows that we are not dependent upon coal. The wheels of industry would 
not stop nor the forests be consumed for fuel if coal did give out. Already we have the 
beginnings of a new method of utilizing natural energy which will prove enormously more 
•effective than coal ever has been, and will be practically inexhaustible to whatever extent 
industry may expand. Electrical energy, developed by water power, will run the world's 
industries, furnish its light and heat, and be the universal substitute for all forms of combustion 
methods. Water power is practically unlimited, and it will be utilized more and more in pro- 
portion as the need for it arises and as its use becomes, at different places and successive 
periods, cheaper than coal. And what is true of the world at large is true of the individual 
child of God. The God who has been our friend and our Providence in the past will not 
desert us in the future. If we do our duty and march bravely on we may depend upon it he 
will supply "all our need" in an abundant manner. 

THE WORLD GROWING BETTER. 145 

There are so many people who are discouraged and so many discouraging things come 
into all our lives, that it is wise for us to emphasize the fact now and then that bad as the 
world may sometimes seem to us it is really improving, and the leaven of righteousness con- 
tinuing to pervade the heart of humanity. Ella Wheeler Wilcox sings this in some cheering 
tines : 

"Oh, the earth is full of sinning 
And of trouble and of woe, 
But the devil makes an inning 
Every time you say it's so ; 
And the way to set him scowling, 

And to put him back a pace. 
Is to stop this stupid growling, 
And to look things in the face. 

If you glance at history's pages. 

In all lands and eras known, 
You will find the vanished ages, 

Far more wicked than our own. 
As 5''OU scan each word and letter. 

You will realize it more, 
That the world to-day is better 

Than it ever was before." 

DOING THINGS BACKWARD. 146 

A butcher was recently taken to a hospital in Cincinnati, suffering from some strange 
disease that baffles medical science. One peculiarity of this man is that he does everythng 
backward. One day he picked up a big butcher knife by the blade, severely cutting his fingers, 
and attempted to slice beef with the handle. In every line of work allotted to him he starts 
"backward. He is himself unconscious of the fact that he is doing his work wrong. That is 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

fortunately a very rare disease in physical work, but every preacher who has had much ex- 
perience as a pastor, as well as every worker in social and moral reforms, can recall many a 
case of that kind of disease among people they have tried to work with in the advancement of 
society. 

GROWING BROTHERHOOD. I47 

It is a common thing to see truckmen help one another in the streets. Doubtless there are 
plenty of truckmen who would go by another who was stalled and leave him to his own re- 
sources, but usually these dealers in heavy burdens are very brotherly to one another and 
there are no distinctions made in putting out the helping hands thus offered. One truckman is 
as likely to offer help as another, and to offer it to any man who needs help. Sometimes it 
is a man with a rather scarred and battered truck and with a team w^ell fed and strong, but 
not very handsome in appearance, which gives a boost to some sleek street craft that is bright 
with paint and trimmings ; and then again it is a man with a big new truck with every angle 
unbroken, with a big brass sign plate on either side, and wfth a pair of horses splendid as well 
as oowerful. who srives helo to the man who has an outfit that is battered and scarred. There 
can be no doubt that in all this hurry and worry of common life that sort of brotherhood is 
growing among men. Every Christmas time sees the Christmas spirit of brotherly kindness a 
little more widely scattered among men. 

LIVES OF POWER. 148 

Preparations are being made to use the power of the Falls of the Snoqualmie to furnish 
electricity to the cities of Seattle and Tacoma, respectively thirty-one miles and forty-five miles 
distant. The falls are two hundred and seventy feet high. A current of twenty thousand 
volts will be transmitted to these cities. The current is taken out of the transformer house 
and across the country on aluminum wires. The wires end at sub-stations in the two cities, 
where the current is again transformed to a low voltage and from there it is supplied to cus- 
tomers. A flour mill at Seattle is already running by electric power from Snoqualmie Falls. 
God communicates his spirit on the line of our faith. Its gracious influence must be trans- 
formed in our hearts and brought to bear on those about us who have not yet learned the 
beauty and the glory of Christ. 

AN ENEMY IN DISGUISE. 149 

The story is told that in 1883 President Kruger found his government very much em- 
barrassed for money. It looked as if a famine was going to overtake the land, but just then 
gold was found in the Barberton district. A messenger from the new gold fields took a sack 
of gold containing twenty ounces to the President, presenting it to him as the first yield of 
gold from the Transvaal. Kruger was astounded when he saw the gold. He asked where it 
came from, and was informed that it was from the Barberton district. "Is there any more 
left?" asked Kruger. He was told that the country was rich in gold ore, and that millions of 
pounds could be secured where that came from. "Thank God ! My country is saved !" was 
his reply. In these days of war when those very gold mines threaten Boer sovereignty in the 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

Transvaal he no doubt regards the discovery of gold as anything but a blessing to him and His 
people. Prosperity always brings its danger as well as its privilege. 

KINDNESS IN GREAT SOULS. 150 

Mark Twain in a recent article on his first appearance in literature brings out in a very 
clear light the kind heart of Anson Burlingame, one of the greatest American diplomats, who 
has ever honored the United States. Twain was a young reporter in Honolulu and was laid 
up in his room sfck and unable to waLc. Just at this time a clipper ship was burned at sea 
and the survivors of her crew after a voyage of forty days at sea in an open boat reached 
Honolulu more dead than alive. The story was one of great interest and Mark Twain wanted 
above all things to take advantage of it. But he would have been utterly helpless had not Mr. 
Burlingame, who was on his way to China to take up his great work there, helped him out. He 
took mercy on this unknown reporter and came and put him on a stretcher and had him carried 
to the hospital where the shipwrecked men were. He even did more, he stayed and asked all 
the questions himself, so that the weak and sick young newspaper man had nothing to do but 
make the notes. Writing of it so many years afterwards, Mark Twain says, "It was just like 
him to take that trouble. He was a great man and a great American, and it was in his fine 
nature to come down from his high office and do a friendly turn whenever he could." The 
great natures are the gentlest. Christ, who came from all the glory of heaven was the gentlest 
man the world has ever seen. As we catch his spirit the atmosphere of the world takes on 
the genial climate of the skies. 

MINING FOR EMERALDS. 151 

A well-equipped expedition left London recently to start emerald mining in eastern 
Egypt. The diamond merchant who is back of the movement got his first idea of getting 
emeralds from eastern Egypt from the reading of Cleopatra. He noticed that it was said 
that she was lavish in her bestowal of the emeralds upon those whom she desired to show 
favor. In pursuing his investigations he found that the Zebara region was unquestionably 
rich in these precious stones, and he at once took steps to secure a grant of land. For 
twenty years he has been steadily pursuing this purpose and now his perseverance is re- 
warded and he expects to obtain great riches through the emeralds that he shall dig from 
the Zebara mines. The same sort of patient perseverance devoted to digging for jewels in 
God's word would bring to light gems that would adorn and beautify the soul throughout 
eternal years. 

REMORSE FOR RECKLESSNESS. 152 

The greatest prairie fire ever known in Kansas was recklessly set by an officer of the 
United States government. One day he and a party of officers from Fort Hayes were 
returning from a wild turkey hunt in the canyons of the Saline. The wind was blowing 
a hurricane, and when a stop was made on the wild prairie some ten miles north of Hayes 
this officer recklessly touched a match to the dry, crisp grass, in order to make a spectacle. 
When the other officers saw what he was about to do they made a desperate effort to stop 
him, but the deed had been done and the red flames went reeling across the prairie like a 

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fjshers of men. 

frightened antelope. That fire swept from where it had been started clear across Kansas 
and into what is now Oklahoma. The streams and roads offered no obstacles to 
it whatever; it left a trail of ruin across several counties. Thousands of settlers 
were burned out, losing not only their houses and their feed, but also their 
horses and cattle. If the man who set that fire had been known to the settlers all the troops 
on the plains would not have been enough to stay their vengeance. As it was he suffered 
remorse beyond description. When the officers at Hayes would bring him papers telling 
of the damage done he would groan in very despair. A great deal of the misery and re- 
morse which men suffer comes from deeds carelessly and recklessly done. We have no 
right to be careless of our actions. We ought not only to set a watch on our lips, but upon 
every deed of our lives. 

CUTTLE-FISH OPPONENTS. 153 

There is a strange fish caught off the coast of Cornwall, England, which is called the 
cuttle-fish. It possesses no real mouth, but is in fact a huge sucker. This peculiar fish 
seems to have only one means of defending itself. The moment it leaves the water it 
ejects with considerable force a great quantity of deep black, viscous substance which is 
about the consistency of treacle. Men engaged in wicked businesses that prey upon so- 
ciety often defend themselves in the same way. Let any defender of righteousness or any 
minister who wishes to warn young men of danger open fire on the liquor saloons, or the 
gambling hells, and these cuttle-fish foes will begin to throw their vile fluid to frighten 
him. But if he stands his ground courageously, he will find as the cuttle-fishermen do, that 
though the fluid is vile smelling it has no power to do real harm. 

SPIRITUAL TELEGRAPHY. 154 

Experiments are reported with wireless telegraphy between Chmonix and the Vallot 
observatory on Mont Blanc; the straight distance is a little over seven miles and the 
difference in height two miles. The experiments were made every day for ten days during 
eleven hours with very fair success. All these experiments in wireless telegraphy suggest 
another kind of telegraphy between the human heart, traveling in the low valleys of earth, 
and the throne of God in heaven. Neither clouds nor storms can interfere with the ex- 
change of those messages. 

THE WEAVERS OF LIFE. 15S 

We are all weavers at life's loom, and each of us is weaving into our work many a 
thread of hope, and fear, and vision that no one knows about but ourselves. If we are to 
weave beautiful patterns we must keep the imagination clean and let our thoughts dwell 
on hopeful and lofty themes. Frank Markwood, after studying a collection of beautiful 
Navajo rugs and blankets, which are the rarest examples of Indian art, sings a most sug- 
gestive song of the Indian weaver: 

The threads were as the days of life. 

The dark and the brightly fair; 
The shuttle blent the peace and strife 

As it slowly swung in the air. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

No guide but an untutored mind 

And the wealth of nature's bloom, 
As the weaving skeins twine and wind 

In the rude barbaric loom. 

Before it sat the sybil brown, 

And guided each shining strand, 
The mystic shuttle up and down 

Invoked the spell of her hand. 
And with each "touch the story grew, 

Tho' it spoke in an unknown tongue 
A tale the white man never knew, 

A song that his heart ne'er sung. 

The lines were gray as storm pent clouds, 

And red as a battle plain, 
Yet white withal as dead man's shroud 

Glowed each swaying, shining skein. 
Green as the grass of prairie's sod. 

And black as the soul of night, 
Bright as the thunderbolt of God 

That leaps from the heaven's height. 

These were the thoughts that mazed and strove 

Into an unknown tongue; 
These were the songs the sybil wove 

That never a white man sung. 
For her soul is bound to a sphere 

Where the lost years ebb and flow. 
Nor logic nor reason can clear 

The art of the Navajo. 

HOW A VICTORIA CROSS WAS WON. 156 

General White, who has attracted the attention of the whole world because of the 
interest centered in his defense of Ladysmith, in South Africa, is known among British 
officers as "the bravest of the brave." When Lord Ripon was Viceroy, Colonel White was 
his military secretary. There was to be fighting on the Afghan frontier, and Colonel White 
asked permission to go to the front. Lord Ripon demurred on the ground that he could 
not spare so able an adviser. But Colonel White clinched the matter by putting a question. 
"What," he asked, "will be said if my regiment is cut to pieces, and I am not with it?" 
Lord Ripon yielded. Colonel White rode almost day and night till he joined his regiment; 
those who saw his welcome by the men say it was a scene never to be forgotten. It was 
soon afterward that he won the Victoria Cross. He did so with splendid bravery allied to 
the finest spirit of leadership. At the end of a heavy march the regiment, about to bivouac, 
found that the Afghan guns dominated them at close range. Colonel White gave the order 
to charge. The men were physically unfit; they were utterly worn out, but their com- 
mander knew that the effort must be made. He gave the order three times; the men only 
looked at him helplessly. He gave the order again and rode off alone, trusting to the regi- 
ment to follow. He went right up to the guns; the men, seeing him daring so much, were 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

inspirited; they went after their leader with a cheer, swept everything before them, and 
the guns were taken. We want that kind of spirit among the officers and soldiers of Jesus 
Christ. To turn the tide toward victory in the great churches we need ministers who will 
glory in leading their churches in self-sacrifice and devotion for Christ's cause. And we 
need church members who will follow a heroic leader in the face of any foe. 

KEEPING THE FRESHNESS OF ENTHUSIASM. 157 

A spectator at the recent football game between Harvard and Yale says that one of the 
most inspiring features of the game was the picture of Governor Roosevelt of New York 
and Governor Roger Walcott of Massachusetts standing side by side and leading the cheer- 
ing for Harvard. He said it was almost as good as a touchdown to see the fervor with 
which Governor Roosevelt cheered, waving his hat with an energy that lifted the Harvard 
stands right to their feet. It is a great thing to keep our freshness of enthusiasm as we 
grow older. The only way to do it is to enter into our life work with vigor, doing what we 
have to do promptly and the very best we know how, seeking each day to make it better 
than the past; hoping to make to-morrow better than to-day. No dead-line can run 
through a life like that. 

THE MODERN SAINT. 158 

The modern idea of sainthood is certainly nearer to Christ than that of the middle ages. 
The saint which captures the heart of our time is the one who follows the Master in going 
about to do good. Richard Burton in his "Lyrics of Brotherhood," sings of him some 
very true and suggestive lines : 

No monkish garb he wears, no beads he tells, 

Nor is immured in walls remote from strife. 
But from his heart deep mercy ever wells; 

He looks humanely forth on human life. 

In place of missals or of altar dreams. 

He cons the passioned book of deeds and days ; 

Striving to cast the comforting sweet beams 
Of charity on dark and noisome ways. 

Not hedged about by sacerdotal rule. 

He yearns to make the world a sunnier clime 
To live in ; and his mission everywhere 

Is strangely like to Christ's in olden time. 

THE BROTHERHOOD OF HEROISM. 159 

In one of the battles in the Transvaal war an English detachment defended an armored 
train with great gallantry. Among the noted deeds of heroism was that of a crack rifle shot 
named Caegenhead, who furnished the range at three different points for the crew of the 
train and kept firing until his trigger finger was shot away. An old Black Watch veteran 
named Crow was so conspicuous for his bravery and helpfulness that he so stirred the heart 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

of chivalrous Lieutenant Winston Churchill, that he ran to him amid a hail of bullets and 
shook hands with him and called him a brave old man. There is a wonderful freemasonry 
among brave souls that are doing heroic deeds. It often shines out gloriously among 
those who are doing courageous deeds for Christ. In times of great spiritual energy in 
the church, when all are deeply moved with one supreme purpose of winning souls to 
Christ, all differences of rank and social prestige are lost sight of. True brotherhood pre- 
vails at such a time and every heroic soul winner rejoices in the courage and bravery of 
the humblest member, as well as in the success of the most prominent. It is in that spirit 
that great spiritual victories may be achieved. 

LOST NEAR HOME. i6o 

Last autumn a Kansas farmer was out in his corn field shocking corn and a little 
four-year-old boy went along for company, as the afternoon was pleasant and the little 
fellow wanted to "Help papa shock corn." Along toward night he started alone to go to 
th'? house which was but a little way off, and that was the last seen of him until about sun- 
rise the next morning. The father finished picking his load of corn and went to the house, 
suj,^ '"'P' the boy was there, but on inquiry found that such was not the case. Search was 
at once itX' ' *''^A, and the neighbors were called upon to assist, and it wasn't long before the 
corn-fields wcxt :^'ve with men and lanterns looking for the lost child. To add to the 
grief of the parents and friends the rain began to pour down in torrents about midnight, 
■but the boy was nowhere to be found. They continued the search in the rain, calling for 
the little fellow, but hearing no response. The next morning one of the searching party 
came upon the wee one traveling in one of the neighboring corn-fields, wet through to 
the skin, and his clothes covered with mud, but was happily still alive. How many there 
are who are lost near home. There are dangers to childhood and youth within the very 
sight of the home windows, and parents and teachers need to guard carefully the steps 
of the little ones that they do not become confused and wander into the darkness, 

SAVED BY THE SKIN OF THE TEETH. i6i 

A very curious circumstance happened in Connecticut not long ago in a fox hunt. The 
dogs were hard on the heels of a fox when the fox darted into a hole, but some obstruction 
impeded its passage and it only entered far enough to conceal its body, leaving the end of its 
bushy tail sticking out of the hole. When the men came near they saw one of the dogs 
tearing across the field with the "brush" in its mouth, and the fox flying in another direc- 
tion with nothing left of its beautiful tail but the skinned stump. There are a great many 
people who escape from complete overthrow only as did that fox, by the loss of the beauty 
and joy of life. Many men put off their return to God until much of the possibility of a 
beautiful and helpful career has passed away. Childhood is the time to devote one's heart 
and life to holy living. 

A LOST OPPORTUNITY. 162 

A recent writer relates how he was once making a stage ride on the Pacific Coast. He 
was traveling all night and was aroused from his slumbers in the middle of the night by 

76 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

the stage stopping to take in another traveler. The two men were alone on the inside of 
the stage and the newcomer seemed to be a very friendly dispositioned man who sought to 
while away the time by pleasant conversation. The other traveler was vexed at being 
aroused and would not respond, would not even listen, but turned over and went to sleep. 
Along about daylight the stage stopped before a mountain tavern. The stranger left at 
this place. As he got out of the stage he wished his impolite companion a pleasant journey 
in a most cheerful way and handed him his card. It seemed odd in that rude frontier 
country, in a stage coach, too, for a stranger to be so courteous. People seldom do that 
in a railroad train. The traveler shoved the card into his pocket. He was still drowsy; 
he slept until he reached his destination. Later in the day he came on that card in his 
pocket. Then he knew he had, in his determination to be comfortable, lost the opportunity 
of hearing some good stories from a man who has become one of the foremost writers of 
his time. The name on the card was Bret Harte. Many people lose the delightful and 
saving fellowship with Jesus Christ in the same way. They are drowsy and want to have 
their own way, and Christ comes to them with cheerful face and hopeful spirit, ready to 
make the darkest night brighter than any day, but they sleep on and lose the greatest op- 
portunity of life. 

THE ENORMOUS SIN OF DRUNKENNESS. 163 

An English gentleman, who has resided in Constantinople for many years, and employs 
a large number of men, in speaking of the laboring population, says : "The laboring Turk 
has a great future before him. If I want a good, reliable watchman to watch my mill, or a 
boatman to row me down the Golden Horn to Pera, where I reside, I employ a Turk and 
prefer him to a Christian." Among the reasons which he gave for preferring Turks for 
such offices was that they were always sober. As it is against their religious principles to 
drink any kind of intoxicating drinks, distilled or fermented, they are consequently free 
from "the enormous sin of drunkenness." What a shame it is that drunkenness should 
be tacked on to the name of Christian in heathen lands. But we can expect nothing else 
when our government so compromises itself with the iniquitous business. 

THE LAW OF LIFE'S ROAD. 164 

In a world so full of perplexity as ours there is only one way of safety and that is to 
"keep to the right." If a man is simply trying to find what is right, with no question of 
policy or expediency mixed up with it, he can always, by the help of God's Word, find what 
is right. Charles W. Hubner has a little poem on "Keep to the Right!" which brings out 
a good, clear, strong message for every tempted soul : 

"Keep to the right," is the law of the road — 

Make it a law of your moral code; 

In whatso'ere you determine to do, 

Follow the road of the Good and the True; 

Follow and fear not; by day and by night. 

Up hill or down hill, "keep to the right." ] 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

"Keep to the right," in the journey of life, 
^There is crowding and jostling, trouble and strife 
The weak will succumb to the bold and the strong, 
And many go under and many go wrong; 
He will acquit himself best in the fight 
Who shirks not his duty, and "keeps to the right." 

"Keep to the right," and the Right will keep you 

In touch and accord with the Good and the True; 

These are the best things in life, after all, 

They make it worth living, whatever befall, 

And Death has no terrors, when he comes in sight, 

For the man who determines to "keep to the right." 



EVERYDAY HEROES. 165 

An intelligent and brave seaman of St. John's, Newfoundland, who went not long ago 
on a relief expedition to the North, says he never had a better time in his life. There were 
rough weather and big breezes occasionally to be encountered, but the actual danger and 
privation were as nothing to what the ordinary fishermen suffer while fishing on the banks 
or while seal hunting every spring. This man was rather disgusted when he came home to 
be called a hero for what he had done, for he declared that there is more actual bravery 
and disregard for death by the fishermen who ply their calling daily on the ledges and 
shoals around the Newfoundland coast than all the Arctic explorers now living have shown 
in the course of their whole lives. Every town and city has its heroes. Brave and honora- 
ble firemen, and policemen, and railroad engineers, and others in far more quiet and ob- 
scure places every day stand by their duty and risk their lives rather than fail in the trust 
committed to them. Modern life is so complex that much of its heroism is covered up 
under red-tape, but there are more heroes to-day than ever before, and the heroic spirit 
is growing among men. 

THE THORNY PATH OF SIN. 166 

A sad picture is given of a nineteen-year-old gambler in Dawson City, Alaska. She 
went up to that country as an actress, but remained to take charge of a diamond store. 
There was a good deal of gambling in the town and its deadly fever crept into her veins. 
After a week or two she was a nightly patron of the gaming table. Her cheeks grew thin 
and pale, her eyes curiously bright, her nerves pitifully active. She was soon so carried 
away with it that if a fortune was held out as a reward she could not resist its fateful fas- 
cination. Though she has been very successful in winning money she is already nervously 
shattered and the men of Dawson City who know thoroughly the cruel traces such a life 
leaves on both men and women, prophesy for her an early suicide or the madhouse. Its 
effects are scarcely less terrible on a young man. Nearly every city in the land has its 
hundreds and thousands of victims of the unlawful gaming table, victims drawn from re- 
spectable homes, but who are soon ruined under the gambler's deadly spell. 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

THE IMMORTAL THEATER. 167 

Although we hear a good deal of talk now and then, and sometimes by ministers, about 
the reforming of the theater, it drags on in its slimy way of filth. So competent an au- 
thority as the famous actress, Olga Nethersole, recently declared that the only kind of play 
which may hope for success with English-speaking audiences at the present day is the 
play which is sufficiently indicated by calling it immoral. There is no doubt about it that 
the theater as at present conducted is pulling the stones from the foundations of public 
morality, and weakening and in many quarters endangering the whole structure of society. 
The atmosphere of the modern theater is lustful and irreverent. It is a good place for 
Christians to keep away from. It is a good opportunity for the strong man to deny himself 
for the sake of his younger or weaker brother. 

RUSKIN HALL. 168 

A party of Americans headed by Mr. Walter Vrooman of St. Louis, coming to know 
that it was almost impossible in our day for a poor man to go to Oxford College in 
England and obtain an education, conceived the idea of founding there a Hall for the 
benefit of students who had to work their way through college. It is a plain and quietly 
furnished house but pleasantly situated in the quietude of the broad classic thoroughfare 
known as St. Giles street, amid trees and ivy-clad walls. The building being provided the 
students themselves do the rest, nothing but contributions t© the library being asked for 
from the British public. Ten shillings a week is paid by each man for board, lodging and 
washing, and ten shillings a month for lectures. As no servants are kept, every student 
is expected to take his share in the domestic work of the house. Experience shows that 
this requires but half an hour a day. The promoters of this philanthropy have very ap- 
propriately called it Ruskin Hall, and have taken as their motto this sentence from the 
great philosopher's "Ethics of the Dust:" "The constant duty of every man to his fellows 
is to ascertain his own powers and special gifts, and to strengthen them for the help of 
others." And they have chosen as' their declared object "Each man, by raising himself 
may help to raise, through influence or precept, the whole class to which he belongs." That 
is Christ's way of lifting the whole race toward heaven. 

LIFTING ROCKS FOR TELE WEAK. 169 

The honey bird is a well-known denizen of many parts of the Transvaal. It has the 
unique peculiarity that it does not fear men and women but actually flies up to them, utter- 
ing a plaintive low note, and, flying about their heads, tries to lead them on to the nearest 
clump of rocks. The bird knows full well that under a certain rock lies a store of honey, 
concealed by the cunning bees, and, rock honey being as much esteemed by the birds as by 
human beings, the clever little fellow tries to induce a friendly being with two strong hands 
to push aside the rock, so that it may get to the honey. If it succeeds in its object and the 
traveler on the Veldt attracted by the bird's flutterings to and fro between himself and the 
rocks, finds the honey, the bird changes its plaintive tone to one of joy and pleasure, as 
much as to say, "Thank you very much." If we go on our way alert and vigilant we shall 

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see many an opportunity to turn aside the heavy rocks that hide the sweetest honey from 
those who are too weak to secure it unaided. What a happy fate it is to be able to use our 
strength in thus giving joy to the weak. 

VIEV/ING THE HEAVENS. 170 

When the tourists begin to swarm into Switzerland next year they will be confronted 
at every turn, on every hill and point of vantage, on every hotel piazza boasting a "view," 
with automatic telescopes. Last summer there were many telescopes scattered throughout 
the country, which were looked after by a boy or woman who collected the fee, but now 
it is proposed to supply the whole region with automatic glasses which open on depositing 
two cents. The company is being formed at Berne which will place its automatic telescopes 
in all parts of the Alps next spring. It is a reason for thanking God that not only is this 
outer view of the heavenly world coming within the reach of all the people, but the vision 
of the inner glories of the heavens is becoming possible to all men everywhere. Every 
Christian should count it the greatest privilege to help send the missionary into the dark 
corners of the earth, carrying with him his telescope which reveals the beauty and grandeur 
of spiritual things to hearts that have never seen them before. 

THE FORGOTTEN BROTHER. 171 

In holiday times when all the fortunate world is happy, it is a gracious thing to make 
our Christianity felt among lonely people and those who would otherwise be forgotten. 
Some one writing in the Atlanta Constitution tells the story of a forgotten one in a very 
quaint and plaintive manner: 

I des so weak en sinful, 

Or else, so old en po' 
Dat Mister Chris'mus done fergit 

De number of my do'. 

I tell him "Heah I is, suh ! 

You been dis way befo'." 
But Mister Chris'mus done fergit 

De number on my do'. 

I see him fin' de rich folks 

Dat des don't want no mo' ! 
But — good Lawd knows, he done fergit 

De number on my do' ! 

I wonders, en I wonders 

Des why he slight me so? 
I hopes de Lawd'll show him 

De number on my do' ! 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

LIGHT THAT IS DARKNESS. 172 

A new kind of swindle has been put into operation in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A 
man has been canvassing the city and selling kerosene at nine cents per gallon, two or three 
cents below the market rate, which the purchasers discovered too late, was nothing but 
fresh water and very unsatisfactory for illuminating purposes. One lady who keeps a 
large rooming house for college students purchased some of this bogus oil and cleaned all 
her lamps thoroughly and filled them with it, producing somewhat amusing results when the 
students tried to light them. We are warned in the Scriptures against false light. Christ 
says "If the light which is within thee be darkness how great is that darkness." 

DECEIVED BY APPEARANCES. 173 

The Baroness Burdett-Coutts was once shopping in Paris and was passed from one 
department to another by the shopmen, always with the remark, "Two-ten." She was 
escorted from counter to counter and everywhere the cabalistic words "Two-ten" were re- 
peated. Struck by the peculiarity of this refrain, the Baroness asked the proprietor as she 
left the establishment: "Pray what does 'two-ten' mean? I noticed each assistant said 
it to the other wherever I went in your shop." "Oh, it is nothing," he replied; "merely a 
pass word that they are in the habit of exchanging." But the Baroness was not satisfied 
with this explanation, so in the evening when a young boy brought home her purchases, she 
said. "My boy, would you like to earn five francs?" Of course he had no objection. 
"Tell me," said the lady, "what does 'two-ten' mean, and I will give you five francs." 
"Why, don't you know, ma'am?" said he, evidently astonished at her ignorance. "It means, 
'keep your two eyes on her ten fingers.' " The mystery was solved. The shopmen of that 
store had taken the richest and most generous woman in Great Britain for a shop lifter, 
which is a signal illustration of the fact that it is very easy for the average person to be 
deceived by appearances. 

GOLD FOR BALLAST. 174 

Gold-bearing sand for ballast is the latest development in Cape Nome mining affairs, 
and it may revolutionize things. The purpose is to take it to San Francisco, where it can be 
treated cheaper and worked to much better advantage than at Cape Nome. If the venture 
proves profitable a large fleet of vessels will be put on the route next summer, which will 
take sand ballast from Cape Nome beaches. It is thought the sand from these beaches will 
assay $100 to the ton. Gold seems like a rich sand for ballast for a ship, but it will no 
doubt serve well its purpose in holding the ship level in a storm, without reference to the 
worth of the cargo. Each of us on the voyage of life should carry the true gold of char- 
acter as ballast. It is the one ballast that will not list or shift, however our ship may be 
driven by wind and waves. 

HOMING PIGEONS. 175 

Presumably the pigeons that are to serve as post boys in the Transvaal War recently 
arrived in Africa on the warship Powerful. These pigeons make very rapid messengers. A 
good pigeon will fly more than sixty miles in an hour ever short distances. It is the little 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

bird's love of home that makes it valuable in this way. When let loose on the battfield v^ith 
its little quill full of message stowed away among its tail feathers, it circles round and round 
until its instinct tells it the way home. And then straight as a cannon ball it flies through 
the air, at the rate of a mile a minute or faster. There is in all our hearts this homing in- 
stinct. There is something in the heart of every man and woman that bears testimony that 
they belong to God, and that they should be flying toward heaven. Some like the little 
pigeons turned loose on the battlefield circle round and round in confusion not knowing 
which way to go. But if they are true to the conscience within their breast they will be 
drawn surely on the way home. 

THE MISFITS OF LIFE. 176 

An old railroad man recently related this interesting story: One day there stepped 
aboard his train a well-dressed business man who, as he tendered his fare, remarked : "I 
see you are still on the road, Mr. Sheldon." "Yes, I am still at it," the conductor replied, 
"but I am not certain that I remember you though I think I have seen you before." "Yes, 
you have seen me before," emphasized the passenger, "and while you doubtless have for- 
gotten it I still remember that you once did me the greatest favor « of my life. Come to my 
seat when you get time, and I'll tell you about it." When he had finished collecting fares the 
conductor dropped into the stranger's seat and the passenger continued : "Years ago I 
was four days a brakeman aboard your train. At the end of the four days you took me 
aside and remarked in a tone of sympathy : 'I'm sorry to have to tell you so, but the fact is, 
young man, you are too much of a fool to ever make a good railroader. Take my advice 
and quit.' " The passenger continued, "I took your advice and went into another business, 
and the result is, I made a fair fortune. I thank you, Mr. Sheldon, for your wise counsel." 
"What is your name?" the conductor asked. "Philip D. Armour of Chicago," replied the 
ex-brakeman. So you see a man who is too big a fool to be a brakeman may make a great 
hit at packing pork. Let every young man, or young woman, seek to find the thing they 
can do best, for a large part of the unhappiness of life comes from trying to make a square 
peg fit in a round hole. To try to make yourself pursue a business for which you are not 
adapted is to fight against God. 

A LIFE BRIDGE. 177 

"Agate bridge" is the chief wonder of that marvelous dream known as Chalcedony 
Park, on the petrified forest of Arizona. The bridge is a tree trunk transformed into the 
finest agate, which spans a chasm sixty feet wide. This precious gem is one hundred and 
ten feet long, four feet in diameter at the base, tapering to three feet at the apex, and it 
contains enough material to give labor to all the lapidaries in the world for the next gener- 
ation. How many thousand years ago, nobody knows, this tree, then in the lonely forest, 
fell across the chasm, and the countless years have turned it into this bridge of infinite 
beauty to carry the tourists of this new generation across the gulf. How many people 
there are whose lives serve as bridges to carry the next generation over their shoulders 
to victory. It is not given to all of us who fight for a good cause to see its triumph, but 
God and the angels see that it is a glorious and beautiful thing to build one's life into the 

82 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

defense of righteousness and make of our career a bridge to carry the generation that, 
comes after us on to triumph. Surely we shall not lose our reward in the final victory. 

THE UNNECESSARY TERRORS OF IGNORANCE. 178^ 

An amusing story is told by Mr. Woodford, the resident commissioner in the British 
Solomon Islands. During last year, it appears, a horse was imported from Australia by a 
trader for use on his cocoanut plantation. This was the first horse that had ever been, 
brought to the Solomons, There was some difficulty in landing the animal, and, after 
spending a day on the platform lashed between two boats, it had to be towed over a coral 
reef. After the landing was effected the natives evinced the greatest dread of what seemed 
to them a gigantic creature, and could not be induced to go near it, with the consequence 
that it soon became unmanageable and wandered at will about the bush, a terror to the- 
neighborhood. From some unexplained cause the animal died a month or two after the 
arrival to the intense relief of the natives. Ignorance is the mother of a great many terrors, 
and many of the fears that torment us are as ill-founded as those of the natives of the- 
Solomon Islands, concerning that greatest friend of man among animals, the horse 

GATHERING BEAUTY. 179. 

A composite photograph of the greatest Madonnas painted by the old masters during: 
three hundred years, has been made by Joseph Gray Kitchell of Indianapolis after many 
months of work. The face is said to be marvelously beautiful, combining as it does the 
best conceptions of the greatest painters. The photographer has done in this case what, 
every man and woman ought to be doing in regard to the beautiful things in character and 
conduct. Wherever we find in our books, or in the life of any man or woman we know, 
anything which adorns character and makes a life beautiful and helpful, we should gather 
it for the garden of our own souls. In that way the beauty of all the Madonnas and Saints 
will belong to us, and become incorporated into our own nature. 

WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE. 180 

In the old English town of Wycomb the custom still survives of "weighing in" the 
Mayor. The inspector of weights and measures is master of ceremonies and the Mayor's 
weight is solmenly ascertained, and no less solemnly recorded in a big book, on the occasion 
of his induction into office. The prevalence of this curious custom is traced back to the 
year 1285 in the reign of Edward I. The physical weight of a Mayor, or of any other public 
officer, is of small interest, but if it were intended to suggest by it that the officer would be- 
continually weighed in the balance of public opinion, then the old custom deserves very 
wide prevalence. We are all of us trustees of important interests which God has committed 
to us, and must be finally weighed in the balances of eternal justice. Happy for us if in. 
that testing time we are not like the old king of Babylon, in Daniel's time, "found want- 
ing." 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

ABLE TO SAVE TO THE UTTERMOST. i8i 

One of the saddest things to be imagined occurred in a Western town recently when 
a little four-year-old child was drowned in an old cistern. The mother saw the child go 
down and at once jumped in to rescue him. The water came up to her chin. For over an 
hour she held the child over her head, all the time crying for assistance. None came and she 
was forced, through exhaustion, to drop the child, allowing it to drown. For over three 
hours she screamed for aid for herself but not until her husband, who was at work a mile 
away, came home did she succeed in securing relief. Her grief at not being able to save 
her child has almost driven her wild. Our Saviour who loves us with love like a mother 
never has to give up any one that will appeal to Him for help. "He is able to save unto 
the uttermost" them that come unto God by Him. 

IMITATING THE DEFECTS OF THE GREAT. 182 

Senator Chauncey Depew of New York tells an amusing and interesting anecdote at 
the expense of a dissipated member of Congress : The Congressman in question was being 
shaved by an aged colored barber in Washington. The shop was a favorite one with the 
prominent men of the Capitol, and the old colored man who presided over it often boasted 
that he had shaved every great statesman since the Madison administration. The member 
of Congress referred to was being shaved by the veteran one day, when he said to the latter; 
'^Uncle, you must have shaved many famous men?" "Oh, yes, sah; I have indeed." "And 
a great many of those famous personages must have sat in this very chair where I am 
sitting, eh?" "Dat's right, sah. Dey's set jus' whar yo' is a settin' dis moment, sah. Yes, 
sah. An' I'se jes' been a noticin' a mighty cur's similarity between yo' and Dan' el Webster, 
sah." "You don't say !" exclaimed the highly delighted law-maker. "Is the similarity in 
the shape of my head, Uncle?" "Oh, no, sah, 'tain't dat." "Is it my manner?" "No, 
boss, 'tain't yore manner nudder; hit's yore breff." There are a great many light weights 
among men who imitate greatness only in its defects and sins. The lack of sobriety in Daniel 
Webster has sent many a man to a drunkard's gra'' 

THE POETRY OF COMMON LIFE. 183 

A farmer in Illinois has painted the picture of a corn field, that is to be shown at the 
Paris Exposition next year. In painting this picture the farmer artist has accepted the 
challenge of James Whitcomb Riley, who in his ballad, "When the frost is on the pumpkin 
and the fodder's in the shockj' says that the farm presents a picture that "no painter has 
the colorin' to mock." Mr. Montgomery once called the attention of the Hoosier Poet to 
this challenge and he announced that he would accept it. He claims that he has taken no 
lessons except from nature. He has painted during the last thirty years hundreds of farm 
scenes. It is claimed that so realistic are some of the ears of corn seen in the pictures that 
they have at different times attracted the nibble of a horse and the peck of a hen. It is 
always beautiful to see any man who appreciates the poetry in the common work which he 
does to earn his bread. Th6re is no life so hard and grimy, but it has in it some poetic 
beauty which a happy heart and a cheerful spirit can discover. Such a spirit makes all the 
difference between slavery and victorious achievement. 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

ON A DANGEROUS TRACK. 184 

A young man who recently crossed over the Grand River on a railway bridge at Paines- 
ville, Ohio, had a thrilling experience. He had just passed the center when a fast train 
rounded the curve behind him. As the engine whistled he quickened his pace. With every 
step the train was rushing nearer and there was not a moment to lose. Once the young man 
stumbled and seemed about to fall, but quickly regained his balance and hurried on. As 
he reached the first possible place for escape the train was close behind and he had just 
time to swing himself over the side of the bridge as the locomotive thundered by. The ends 
of the ties were slippery with grease from dripping axle boxes and his foot slipped wide 
as he left the track. His right hand, stretched blindly out before him, touched a round iron 
bar, bracing two parts of the bridge, and with a grip like that of a drowning man his fingers 
clasped around it. For a moment he swung in empty air. In another his left hand had 
found a place beside his right and his feet touched the welcome edge of a brace below. 
With bleeding fingers touching the slender iron bar that vibrated widely from side to side, 
moments seemed hours. At last the train passed and the young man was able to climb 
slowly to the track above. All who walk in the track of sin are in imminent danger of 
disaster. No man walks in the path of unrighteousness except at his peril. Rare, indeed, 
is the sinner with so hard a heart that he would not flee if he understood the deadly 
Nemesies that follow in the track of wrong doing. The Scripture says, "Let the wicked 
forsake his way, knd the unrighteous man his thoughts and return unto the Lord who will 
have mercy upon him, and unto our God who will abundantly pardon." 

MORAL HEROISM. 185 

An English officer relates that at the bombardment of Odessa the Lieutenant in com- 
mand of the fore-castle quarters on one of the English war-ships was a man who was 
universally popular. He was very fat and had the usual characteristics of fat men. He 
had often told his friend, who tells the story, of his desire to distinguish himself, but as 
soon as the Russian shot came flying about the fore-castle he entirely lost his nerve and 
became physically incapable, the perspiration streaming down his terrified face. He became 
actually ill, but so morally brave was he that nothing would induce him to leave his 
quarters ; by a stupendous and amazing moral effort he stuck to his post in spite of his terror, 
and remained on the forecastle until the fight was over. That is the kind of courage which 
counts in the great moral struggles that are going on in our day. We want men who though 
they know the danger and fear it, are still incapable of shirking their duty. 

THE DEEPER MEANING OF THE WORLD. 186 

Edwin Markham in his recent poem on the "Immortal Youth of the Poet" has some 
very striking and beautiful lines. The most suggestive thought, however, is that which 
makes the great characteristic of the poet, the man who sees the deeper meaning of the 
world. In that sense every true Christian is something of a poet The essence of poetry 
is in his heart, though he may not have learned how to rhyme. It is the very heart of 
Christianity that it gives us a new conception concerning the meanings of nature and of 



FRESH BAir FOR 

human life. Markham's tribute to the poet might well be applied to any genuine Christian 
as one who, 

"Sees, in some dead leaf, dried and curled. 
The deeper meaning of the world ; 
Hears through the roar of mortal things 
The God's immortal whisperings ; 
Sees the world-wonder rise and fall, 
And knows that Beauty made it all." 

TIME TO THINK. ' 187 

The discipline of the Royal Navy of Great Britain is iron in its severity, but all that 
human effort can effect is tried to insure that impartial justice shall be done. The bulk of 
punishments awarded are headed "SUMMARY" in order to distinguish them from those 
awarded by courts martial, but strictly speaking there are no cases of summary punish- 
ments in the Navy. By one of the wisest rules possible a period of twenty-four hours must 
elapse between the report of an offense and the awarding of punishment therefor, so that 
the officer passing sentence, who may have been personally aggrieved, has time to think the 
matter over and has no excuse for inflicting punishment in a spirit of revenge. If parents 
and employers and all those who deal with the lives and happiness of others, and who of us 
does not in some way, would only take "time to think" before speaking the harsh word, or 
enforcing the rigorous sentence, how much unnecessary misery would be saved ! 

FORGIVING OUR DEBTORS. 188 

A venerable citizen of Tennessee being convinced, not long ago, that his time had come 
to die, determined that the last act of his life should be a practical interpretation of the in- 
vocation "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." A messenger was dispatched 
to summon all his debtors to the bedside of the dying man and they came under the appre- 
hension of being called on to settle, but their astonishment can be imagined when the old 
man gave to each one the note held against him and thus squared the account. Several 
thousand dollars indebtedness was wiped out by this philanthropic deed. If he thought to 
buy off the justice of God in that way it was of course valueless. But if it illustrated the 
spirit in which he had lived it is a very suggestive message for us all. 

HIDING THE GOOD NEWS. 189 

An inventor recently died in Knoxville, Tennessee, who is said to have discovered and 
perfected the lost art of tempering copper and welding it with steel. This process was 
known to the people of ancient Egypt, but was afterward lost and has been sought for in 
vain for hundreds of years. This inventor was a blacksmith and experimented with copper 
for years, and only last year hit upon the secret for which he had been seeking. He would 
never disclose the process to any one. The secret of it is believed to have perished with 
him. It is a great blessing that in spiritual matters there is no temptation to hide any good 
news that may come to us. Our own joy is not narrowed by giving the secrets of salvation 
to our neighbors. The more we tell the good tidings of divine mercy and the more who 
enter into the riches of grace, the greater our own happiness. 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

A BOLD SWIMMER. 190 

The steamer Welott was wrecked not long ago on some rocks at the mouth of Humboldt 
Bay, and it seemed at first that all the passengers and crew must be lost. But finally a brave 
man by the name of Morgan went to the rescue. He plunged into the terrible breakers with 
a line about his body and swam through the storm when it seemed impossible for any human 
being to live in such a sea, and finally reached the rocks, climbed upon them and the life- 
saving crew took the seemingly doomed people ashore in a basket. Christ came swimming 
to us through the storm and the breakers when there was no other hope and brought to us 
the strong life line of salvation. No one is in so hard a plight, no one wrecked on so dan- 
gerous a reef, but what if he lifts his heart to Him the life line of hope shall come. 

AN UNFADING CROWN. 191 

The crown of Russia is at present supposed to be the richest in diamonds of any crown 
in the world. Besides several valuable collections in the Imperial Treasury, there are three 
crowns entirely composed of these stones. That of Ivan Alexiowitch contains eight hundred 
and eighty-one; that of Peter the Great eight hundred and forty-seven, and that of Catherine 
XL, two thousand five hundred and thirty-six. One of its most remarkable diamonds is the 
"Orlofif," now set in the top of the Imperial scepter, and on this account is sometimes called 
the "Scepter" diamond. But there is a better crown than that, and one which the humblest 
Christian in the world may make sure of. It is the one Peter tells us about, "A crown of 
glory that fadeth not away. 

THE STARS AS TIME-KEEPERS. 192 

Probably the majority of people suppose that the observatories obtain the correct time 
from the sun. When the average man wishes to give his watch the highest praise he says, 
"It regulates the sun," not being aware that a watch that would keep with the sun around 
the year would have to be a very bad watch indeed. Astronomers depend almost wholly 
on the stars for obtaining accurate time. There are several hundred stars whose positions 
have been established with the greatest accuracy by the most careful observations at a num- 
ber of the principal observatories of the world. If a star's exact position is known, it can 
readily be calculated when it will pass the meridan of any given place — that is, the instant 
it will cross a north and south line through the place. The data regarding these stars are 
all published in the Nautical Almanacs, which are gotten out by several different observatories 
for the use of navigators and all others who have uses for them. These stars are known as 
"Clock Stars." God designs that Christians shall be the time-keepers in morals and in 
witness to Christ for many people who have not learned yet to get their light from heaven. 
Many a father and mother stands in the place of God to their children, and many a person 
whom we meet will never see the truth unless they read it in us. How true we ought to 
be to God, what faithful testimony we should bear to Christ, since our lives may have such 
fateful influence on others. 

S7 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

MORBID SELF-ANALYSIS. 193 

A wonderful piece of self-analysis occurs in one of John Donne's funeral sermons : 
*'I throw myself down in my chamber, and I call in and invite God and His angels together, 
and when they are there I neglect God and His angels for the noise of a fly, for the rat- 
tling of a coach, for the whining of a dog; I talk on in the same posture of prayer, eyes lifted 
up, knees bowed down, as though I prayed to God; and if God should ask me when I last 
thought of God in that prayer I cannot tell. Sometimes I find that I forgot what I was 
about, but when I began to forget it I cannot tell. A memory of yesterday's pleasures, a 
fear of to-morrow's dangers, a straw under my knee, a noise in mine ear, a chimera in my 
brain, troubles me in my prayer." It is not wise to hold post-mortem examinations on our- 
selves. It is better to give ourselves to the best of our ability to God's service and leave 
ourselves in the hands of Him who has taught us to say, "Our Father." 

THE WINGS OF GENIUS. 194 

An amusing story is related of Professor Lyon Playfair. He once went to examine 
a phosphate mine. The manager of the mine was a Scotchman, tall, big-boned, with the 
strongest Glasgow Doric in his tongue. When he first came upon the Professor and his 
companions he was angry and demanded that they should leave the ground, and drop the 
specimens which they had taken before he appeared. At last the Professor addressed him 
in good Scotch, and asked the manager if he thought he was a mining adventurer. "Ay ! 
That's just what ye are." "No," he replied, "I am a Scotch Professor." "Then if ye are, 
ye'll be having' a name." "My name, is Playfair." "Man !" said the Scotchman, "are ye 
Lyon Playfair?" The Professor assured him he was, but expressed surprise that the mana- 
ger should know his name. To which he replied, looking from his six feet two inches with 
compassion on the little Professor's five feet four inches, "Hoot, mon, yer name's traveled 
further than yer wee legs will ever carry ye." The wings of genius can get along without 
a big physique; Paul and Wesley, and multitudes of others who have made all humanity 
their debtors, have got along with small bodies. 

STANDING BY ONE'S COLORS. i95 

Whittier, the Quaker poet, wrote to Gail Hamilton in 1866, a letter which has been re- 
cently published, in which he related a very characteristic incident: "I must tell thee 
something droll. Last week the Amoskeag Veterans from New Hampshire, and a Massa- 
chusetts company, with military bands, came and paraded before our house, and Governor 
Smyth of New Hampshire and one or two other officers called on me. When they left and 
I stepped out to see them civilly off, the men in epaulets got up a grand military salute, with 
music and three cheers to wind up with ! Was ever a Quaker in such a predicament ? I 
did, I fear, somewhat compromise myself by lifting, almost involuntarily, my hand to my 
hat — but I resisted the temptation and only pulled my hat lower down over my brows by 
way of testimony." There is your true man of principle. Every soldier honored the 
Quaker poet the more for standing true to his own character and personality. It is always 
safe and right in this world, or any world, to stand square by your own principles. 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

A PET SIN. 196 

An amateur snake fancier in Brooklyn, New York, was recently bitten by a Florida 
Water Moccasin which he was feeding, and his life has been in danger. The snake was a 
large one, and was one which he had petted for quite a while, and which he thought to be so 
thoroughly tamed that it was no longer dangerous. Sometimes men get so accustomed to 
certain sins that the shock of conscious wrong-doing that came to them when they first 
transgressed ceases to be felt and they imagine that in some way their sin is tamed and they 
are not in danger. But God is not to be thus mocked. Sin is always a venomous thing and 
its wages is death. 

DESTROYING ONE ANOTHER. 197 

A hunter in the North-eastern woods recently came upon the remains of a couple of 
magnificent deer which had evidently been engaged in deadly combat until their horns had 
become locked together, and not being able to extricate themselves they had evidently 
starved to death in that situation. The horns are so interlocked that it is impossible to get 
them apart without destroying, them. So these strong and beautiful dwellers of the forest 
had destroyed one another and the two had died together. That is not an uncommon result 
of strife among men and women. No wonder Christ pronounces a great benediction upon 
the peace-maker. Such a man is often the cause of the salvation of those whom he brings 
into harmony. 

A MILLIONAIRE PAUPER. 198 

A man recently died in an Eastern town who was estimated to have been worth many 
millions of dollars. But the miserly spirit had so grown upon him that during the last 
years of his life he suffered from constant fear that he should die in want. For several 
years it had been necessary to have a trained nurse constantly in attendance on him. One 
day a year or so ago he called the nurse to him and said : "I feel very grateful for all you 
have done for me and I would like to have you stay, but I can't afford to undergo unneces- 
sary expense, and now that I am feeling better, I think I shall have to let you go." The 
nurse reported to the family what the millionaire said and it was then arranged that she 
should tell the old man that, rather than leave a place that she had held so long she would 
work for nothing. And he agreed to let her stay until she had found another place. And 
so the nurse remained with him until the end. Surely his fifty millions of dollars could 
not have been a very great comfort to him while thus haunted with his inability to surround 
himself with necessary comforts. Let no man imagine that money is the great necessity of 
life, nor, indeed, the great luxury. A pure heart, a clean mind, and an assurance that we 
are pleasing God, and that all things must work together for our good, can give more hap- 
piness than any number of millions of dollars. 

THE POWER OF IMAGINATION. 199 

An English traveler once jnet a companion sitting in a state of the most woful despair, 
and apparently near the last agonies, by the side of one of the mountain lakes of Switzerland. 
He inquired the cause of his suffering. "Oh," said he, "I was very hot and thirty, and took 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

a large draught of the clear water of the lake, and then sat down on this stone to consult 
my guide book. To my astonishment, I found that the water of this lake is very poisonous I 
Oh ! I am a lost man — I feel it running all over me — I have only a few minutes to live.'* 
"Let me see the guide book," said his friend. Turning to the passage he found, "L'eau du 
lac est bien poissonn euse." — "The water of this lake abounds in fish." "Is that the mean- 
ing of it?" "Certainly." The dying man looked up with a radiant countenance. "What 
would have become of you," said his friend, "if I had not met you?" "I should have died 
of imperfect knowledge of the French language." The imagination can never be left out 
of account. Its power is beyond all ordinary estimates and no man can afford to allow his 
imagination to feed upon impure food. 

CAREFUL OF OUR INFLUENCE. 200 

Our unconscious influence is so great that we need line upon line, and precept upon 
precept, to arouse ourselves to the full measure of our responsibility concerning it. Sarah K. 
Bolton gives us a clear message in her recently published poem on "Influence :" 

The smallest bark on life's tumultuous ocean 

Will leave a track behind forever more; 
The lightest wave of influence, once in motion, 

Extends and widens to the eternal shore. 

We should be wary, then, who go before 
A myriad yet to be, and we should take 

Our bearing carefully, where breakers roar 
And fearful tempests gather : One mistake 
May wreck unnumbered barks that follow in our wakv 

THE QUEEN'S NECKLACE. 201 

Gluck. the great operatic composer, was once honored at the triumphant performance ol 
one of his operas by an invitation of Queen Marie Antoinette to come to her box to receive 
her congratulations. Half dazed with emotion, excitement, and fatigue, the old musician, 
rising from his obeisance, clapped his hands to his eyes, crying with horror, "Blood, blood, 
round the Queen's neck !" "It is only this, Gluck," said Marie Antoinette, hastily snatching 
off her necklace of rubies, and holding the rippling gems toward him; and Gluck looked 
again and saw the fair white throat rising unharmed and stainless. There is a necklace fairer 
than any rubies, and one that brings no envy or jealousy with it. The gems are mercy and 
truth and they make, says Solomon, who was a great judge of jewels, a supreme ornament 
of grace for the neck. 

THE DANGER FROM PETTY ENEMIES. 202 

Travelers in Africa have a great deal to say about a tiny but dangerous little pest called 
"jiggers." The jigger is a foe to be reckoned with, and one never to be left out of account 
by even the bravest and strongest when entering his territory. He is an exact reproduction 
in miniature of the common flea, but instead of merely inflicting a bite on the surface, he 
burrows under the skin, close to the toe nails if he can get a chance, and there builds his nest 

go 



FISHERS OF MEN, 

and rears his family. Colonel Macdonald relates that during a visit to Uganda some natives 
caught a leopard whose feet were so thoroughly diseased from jiggers that he was quite un- 
able to move or defend himself. Many men are like that leopard. They can fight great diffi- 
culties with a brave heart and a courageous front, but they surrender to the jiggers. Many a 
man will not be smitten by the paw of a lion, but he will die by the jiggers. 

CULTIVAT THE TALENT YOU HAVE. 203 

There is a blind man living in the heart of the old quarter of New Orleans who walks 
about the city with such an air of courage and quiet assurance that one who does not know 
him would never suspect his infirmity. To an inquirer he declares that he sees with his 
nose and feet. "When a man has his sight," says the blind man, "the smells of the street are 
mixed up, but when he is blind if he applies himself to it he can learn to separate them. The 
smells of the shops are almost as plain to me as the signs used to be over the doors. Some 
of them you would hardly suppose to exist. Take a dry goods store, for instance ; it smells 
of cloth, and has a very peculiar odor. Iron and tin have smells of their own, and 1 can tell 
a hardware store immediately. I pass two book stalls nearly every day, and I scent them 
yards off by the old books. Then there are a great many indescribable odors by which I 
know this place and that. Of course, my feet are my principal guide, and I've been over the 
same ground so often that I have learned every inequality by heart." The blind man in his 
wisdom ought to teach us an important lesson. When his sight was gone he did not give up 
in despair, but took account of stock to see what was left and devoted himself to making the 
very most of that. That is the very height of human wisdom. What is gone cannot return, 
what we have lost cannot now be helped, but we should set to work and bring all our re- 
sources into action. It is not the general who wins at all points and never loses a skirmish 
who makes the greatest general in the long run, but it is rather the man who is able to take 
advantage of emergencies, and when one division of his army is defeated or thrown out of 
the engagement, is able to make much of what is left. Many a man who is brood.ng gloomily 
over his losses has resources enough left to win great victories if he would but cheer up and 
bring them all into action. 

OBEDIENCE GIVES ABILITY TO COMMAND. 204 

An interesting story comes from the Philippines. A raw recruit who was only a boy and 
small of his age was out on picket duty. The recruit was sitting on the bank of the river 
holding his feet out straight in front of him. The corporal had told him that if he sat with 
his feet held up he would not go to sleep. The recruit was so busy holding out his feet that 
he did not see the officer of the day, who happened to be a lieutenant of the strict West 
Pointer type, who scorned raw recruits. The recruit finally realized that the officer of the 
day had come up and he arose, clumsily enough, and tried to look as soldierly as the rest 
of the men. But the officer of the day looked at the little fellow in contempt. Then he 
glanced across the river and a happy idea struck him. "Sergeant," he said to the non-com- 
missioned officer of the outpost, "you ought to have a man across the river. If they come 
in on us there we could be forming while they were coming across, if we only had a man 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

over there to give the alarm," "Yes, sir," said the sergeant. "You go over there," said the 
lieutenant to the shivering little recruit. The little recruit shivered so that his teeth rattled, 
and to hide his fear he merely saluted and hastily waded into the cold, dark river and across. 
The current was swift, and at one time. the water came up to his arm pits, but he got safely 
over and then, alone in the enemy's country, he sat shivering through the night, trying to 
make out the fantastic shapes that loomed up in the darkness. About midnight he heard 
some one walking along the beach on the American side of the riv r. He raised his rifle and 
challenged, "Halt." The figure across the river halted. "Who's there?" asked the recruit. 
"Officer of the day," came back the response in the unmistakable voice of the proud young 
lieutenant. "Advance, officer of the day!" commanded the recruit with all the dignity of a 
brigadier general, and be recognized." "O, that's all right, my man," said the officer of the 
day, I can't advance across this muddy river, you know. How is everything over there?" 
"Advance, officer of the day," came from the recruit on the other side, "and be recognized." 
And then came a peculiar click such as is made when the safety catch is moved so as to per- 
mit the firing of a Krag-Jorgensen rifle. The officer of the day hesitated no longer. He 
plunged into the cold water and waded across. He stepped into a hole and went in over his 
head. He walked ashore so wet he could have been wrung out by hand. The recruit looked 
at him. "It's all right," he said, crossing his gun to port, "f recognize you. Everything is 
quiet, sir." Then he stood waiting for the officer of the day to empty a vial of wrath on 
bis head, but nothing of the kind happened. The lieutenant asked the usual questions, then 
waded back. And he never showed by word or action that he remembered the thing after- 
wards. He changed his mind, however, about raw recruits, and showed great respect for one 
little raw recruit in particular. There is a great lesson in the little story. The power to 
command comes through the pathway of obedience. The man who obeys all just require- 
ments made of him is the man who is master of the situation. 

A BALLOON PLANT. 205 

The largest plant in the world is said to be the Nereocytis, a gigantic sea weed, which 
frequently grows to a height of more than three hundred feet. The stem of the plant is as 
strong as an ordinary rope, and large quantities of it are dried and used as rope by the in- 
habitants of the South Sea Islands where these curious ocean forests are found. This sea 
tree usually grows at a depth of from two hundred to three hundred feet. As soon as the 
plant is rooted in the ocean bed a spear-shaped balloon is formed whose stem points toward the 
surface of the ocean. This balloon frequently has a diameter of six feet or more. Its ambi- 
tion is to reach the top of the water and its tendency is ever upward till it reaches it. Man 
is a balloon plant. The tendency is upward. Every healthy soul is ambitious and there is 
no human being in a normal, wholesome condition but aspires upward to look in the face of 
the sky. It is sin that turns our faces downward and lets our affections droop to the 
mud. 

SKILL THROUGH EXERCISE. 206 

The skill of the Boer sharpshooters has attracted universal attention during the Trans- 
vaal war. A recent writer explains that this skill has been acquired by the Boer during the 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

past three centuries, in which time he has depleted South Africa of its wild animals. When 
the Boers entered the Transvaal it was known as the "Paradise of the hunter." It was full of 
wonderful game. There were the elephant, leopard, rhinoceros, giraffe, zebra, antelope, 
ostrich, buffalo, and multitudes of other game animals in abundance. Eighty thousand ele- 
phants are required every year to supply the world with ivory, and most of them come from 
South Africa. The Boer has shipped lions from the Transvaal to all lands, and he has 
killed thousands of the beasts within its borders. Giraffes and zebras to the number of a 
hundred thousand each have been stripped of their hides for commercial purposes. These 
and uncounted other victims have formed the target of the Boer rifle, in this three hundred 
years of development of the sharpshooter of the Veldt. One may get good illustrations for 
mtellectual development from physical facts. It is the man who uses his mind in earnest 
reasoning and serious work every day who comes after awhile to be its master, and can 
control it and make it go straight to the point at issue. The intellectual marksman must 
learn the lesson of the Boer sharpshooter that it is "practice that makes perfect." 

STORING UP RESOURCES. 207 

A gentleman who has escaped from the Transvaal since the war began, says the Boers 
have been laying in supplies of food and ammunition in preparation for the present war for a 
long time. Not only have vast quantities of ammunition been stored in Pretoria, but know- 
mg that the war once started there would be no chance of getting more, so vast a quantity 
was imported that great storehouses had to be built for its reception in every part of the 
country. Just before his departure scarcely an hour passed day after day, as he rode toward 
Pretoria, that he did not meet huge droves of cattle that were to be sent to the frontier to 
feed the army when necessary. Boys and girls and young people generally may see in that 
a significant illustration of the importance of wide reading and research and gathering up 
large stores of knowledge during the susceptible years of youth. After the battle of life is 
really on there is comparatively little time for laying up those necessary stores of intellec- 
tual supply. Many great men are waging their important battles and gaining their victories 
to-day with ammunition stored up in boyhood. 

SWITCHED TO THE WRONG TRACK. 208 

When the great rush of business struck the transportation companies last autumn it 
found all of them short of equipment to handle the traffic offered. Jams and blockades fol- 
lowed, and then began the practical stealing of cars by those lines that were short. The 
trick is not a difficult one. A car loaded with merchandise in Chicago, for instance, is sent 
to a point on ariother road west of the Missouri river. When the contents are unloaded the 
car is immediately sent to some grain center further west, loaded and sent back to Chicago 
over a third line. The latter, if short of equipment, in turn appropriates the car when emp- 
tied for its business, and so on. In many cases all trace of these wandering cars is lost, and 
sometimes months thus elapse before they are returned to the owning road. Recently a 
manufacturing concern in Indiana started one hundred new box cars to a Colorado road. 
The cars never got further than the Mississippi river. They were pressed into service by 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

the roads over which they were sent, and it was nearly two months before any of them 
reached the company that bought them. Many men and women are like those wandermg 
cars. They do not travel under their own locomotive will-power. They are the creatures 
of circumstances, and so thev are switched from one track to another and loaded up and 
made to carry the burdens of whoever masters them. It is the supreme help of Jesus 
Christ that makes it possible for us to travel under our own steam. 

A CONCEALED HEART. 209 

A man died recently in Philadelphia from what the doctors called a marble heart. 
The organ was so stony that the surgeon who performed the autopsy broke his scapel on 
it. Curiously enough the man who possessed this anatomical curiosity had never suffered 
from conscious heart trouble, and it is probable that the condition of the organ would 
never have been discovered by outward examination. This disease is a very rare one 
physically, but alas ! It is far too common spiritually. The man with the marble heart, 
whose blood goes cold and sluggishly, stands in the way of the progress of every great 
movement for the benefit of humanity. Half-heartedness and cold-heartedness are the 
source of most of the difficulties that the church has to encounter. Warm-hearted en- 
thusiastic Christians can burn away all barriers to the church of Christ. Many people are 
unconscious of their serious conaition. We should pray God to give us a heart of flesh. 
alive and glowing with devotion to Christ. 

A SERPENT IN THE FASHIONS. 210 

They tell us that one of the new fads among ultra-fashionable people is for a lady to 
wear a jetted snake in her hair. This new hair ornament is a jet black snake, about as 
thick as one's finger, coiled ready to spring, the head upright and the forked tongue pro- 
truding ready to strike. There have always been serpents among the fashions. The ser- 
pent of extravagance has slain its thousands, but the serpent in the fashionable wine glass 
has slain its tens of thousands. 

THE DEAD-LETTER OFFICE. 211 

During Holiday times the Dead-Letter Office at Washington reaps a great harves-t. 
People are in a hurry, have more things than usual on their minds, and so make a great 
many mistakes in addressing and forwarding letters and presents. Where these cannot 
be set aright by the postal authorities, the letter or package is sent to the Dead-Letter 
Office. There are many prayers that are never answered for similar reasons. Men are 
too busy about wordly things to set their hearts upon communion with God. Some 
prayers intended for the Throne of Grace get no farther than the congregation, because 
the sender has his thoughts on the people that are about him and does not really pray to 
God but to them. God has given us m his Word many directions, all of them very simple 
and easy to understand, so that even a little child need not err in directing its petitions to 
him. If our prayers are not answered we should look up the trouble. We may be very 
sure that there is no fault in the heavenly postal system, but that the fault is all in our- 
selves. 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

DRIFTWOOD. 212 

One of the greatest curiosities noted by travelers in Alaska is the wonderful haven of 
driftwood on the coast between Yakatag and Kyak islands, some twelve hundred or fifteen 
hundred miles northeast of Seattle. The constant deposit of logs and driftwood in this 
particular spot, which has been going on for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, is due 
to the phenomena of the tides — the Pacific gulf stream, the mysterious ocean currents and 
the peculiar formation of the shore lines at that point. Logs and timbers are readily iden- 
tified there as having come from Japan, China, India, and other parts of Asia, as well as 
from California, Washington and other portions of the American continent. There are 
fine logs of the camphor tree^ the maghogany, the red wood and the pine, and countless 
other varieties in this driftage. Some of these contain the names of the men who felled 
the trees and the saw mills for which they were destined but never reached. One beach 
after another has been formed by the floating timbers, and a little distance back from the 
shore the deposits are so old that the wood in some places is petrified, while a little deeper 
in the earth it has turned into coal. There is something almost pathetic about those rare 
ana rich timbers that have drifted on the currents thousands of miles from the track of 
commerce and usefulness, to be finally tossed up on the sand bar and beached forever. But 
there is a wreckage beach sadder than that. It is the beach on which men and women are 
flung who have drifted away from the anchorage of their faith in God and their hope in 
Jesus Christ. Men and women who are born to be the sons and daughters of the Highest, 
in some storm of temptation have been drifted from their moorings and have been the 
sad playthings of the tides of passion and sin until at last they have been beached for 
eternity. Christ is on a mission to these drifting souls and he is seeking after the lost. 
He throws to them the life line of hope. What folly to refuse such an opportunity. 

THE WORLD'S COLD GLITTER. 213 

There is a cave in the Ozark mountains in Missouri on which nature has lavished its 
work in such a way as to make it famous under the name of "The Diamond Mine." Yet 
there are no diamonds in the mine. There is no formation approaching that of a diamond 
mine. But when the visitor has treaded the three-quarters of a mile of dark tunnel and 
stands at the entrance of "The Crystal Palace," he acknowledges instant approval of the 
name "The Diamond Mine." The polished wealth of all the Transvaal could not approxi- 
mate the glittering splendor of the scene. A great chamber thirteen hundred feet long, 
varying from three hundred to six hundred feet in width and from ten to thirty feet high, 
is before him. It is a wilderness of water formations. Stalactites almost meet stalagmites 
and occasionally join so completely as to present massive columns. These formations flash 
back the light of the torches' rays many times magnified until the illumination dazzles the 
eyes, and to add to the fascination of the scene these formations present various colors. 
There are columns of pure white and cream color. In the forest of stalactites and stalag- 
mites the rays from the torches lose themselves and come back refracted in many hues. 
And yet it is all cold glitter, there is not wealth enough in it all to buy a loaf of bread. 
And all the cold glitter of the world is as worthless as that when one is dealing with great 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

spiritual verities. The Bread of Life cannot be bought by all the gold of the Klondike, 
nor all the diamonds of Kimberly. 

A VEIN OF LEAD. 214 

Where a smaller stream empties into the White river, in Missouri, there is said to be 
distinctly visible a crevasse extending across the rock bottom of the larger stream from 
bank to bank. That crevasse is filled with lead, pure galena, as if it had been melted and 
run into a mould. Fishermen floating down White river can see this streak of lead through 
ten or fifteen feet of water. Some people carry their religion in that shape. It is like a 
great vein of lead, cold, heavy, sombre and forbidding. It needs what that vein of lead 
needs, to be brought where the furnace is hot and melted into bullets or pipes and made to 
serve its purpose. A hot revival makes a good furnace in which to redeem these leaden 
Christians. 

LOST IN THE SAND. 215 

In some parts of the south-west it is not uncommon for a river to be lost. Through 
the North Arkansas valley one may sometimes find a creek running half way to the wagon 
hubs, but if you would follow down it for a mile or two you may come to a crossing where 
the channel is a bed of gravel, dry and dusty, without water in sight above or below. With 
some streams that is the last of them. But with others it is different. The water which 
has sunk noiselessly into a bed of sand at one place appears a few miles further on and 
becomes again a brave and vigorous stream. One sees something like that in the career 
of Christians. Sometimes we see one who has begun a Christian life with strong hopeful 
enthusiasm, that went singing on its way with a joyous heart, giving cheer to every one 
that witnessed it, but in the course of a year or two it comes into a time of sandy diffi- 
culty, and when the hot sun of opposition falls upon it. it sinks away and is lost in the 
perplexities of life. Sometimes that is the last of that Christian career. But to others 
there comes a resurrection. Some earnest call of God's providence, some heart-searching 
appeal from the pulpit, some sudden punishment following on sin, arouses the conscience, 
stirs the will to action, and the man or the woman rous.es again to duty and flows on in 
open testimony to Christ. It is better to be never lost at all. but greater folly to remain 
lost when Christ comes seeking to save. 

LIFE'S MILE-STONE. 216 

Holidays, birthdays and anniversary seasons are mile-stones along the path of life, 
and it is well to make full use of them. If we use them rightly we may be able to see 
clearer than at other times whether we are gaining or losing in our character and conduct. 
A Western traveler tells of a river which he saw, which came surging up against a rocky 
promontory some five hundred feet thick and then changed its course and made a circuit 
of ten miles and came back, and swept majestically around the other side of that abrupt 
point only half a thousand feet away. The thing that impressed him most was that the 
water on the upper side of this narrow partition was twelve feet higher than it was on 
the other side, and he knew by that that the river had gone down twelve feet in grade in 





FISHERS OF MEN. 

the circuit of ten miles. So if we will measure ourselves by the gauge-marks of the past, 
we may be able to tell whether life is a climb upward to something nobler or a drift 
downward. 

A PRISONER ON THE THRONE'. 217 

A year is past and more since the reins of government in China were wrested from 
the weak hands of the Emperor by his aunt. This momentous event at the same time 
meant the end of reform which had been inaugurated by the youthful Emperor through 
Li Hung Chang, the viceroy. The Emperor still has the nominal power, but practically he 
is only a puppet and has no voice whatever in government. A recent author says that the 
young Emperor is by no means reconciled to this contemptible fate. Aid, however, must 
come, if at all, from the outside, for while dissatisfied, the Emperor has not the necessary 
energy to help himself. Is not that just the condition of the sinner? He was made to be 
master in his own heart and life, to control his own spirit. Sin has dethroned him; he is 
not satisfied with this condition and there are many days when he mourns his contemptible 
fate and longs for deliverance. He has not the power, however, to free himself. Help 
must come, if it come at all, from the outside. Jesus Christ is able to nerve again that 
palsied will and arouse to new forcefulness the character, and lead him to successful con- 
quest of all the enemies of his soul. 

STRENGTH SAPPED BY EASE. 218 

Mr. Lemuel Cooper, who has been living for a time on the island of Ruatan in the 
Caribbean Sea, gives a wonderful picture of the ease with which people may earn a liveli- 
hood in that island. When the native needs something at the store, all he has to do is to 
gather some cocoanuts and trade them for what he wishes. He hulls them by striking 
them on a stake driven in the ground, and a man could easily hull three thousand cocoa- 
nuts in a day in that manner. Roses and flowers in every imaginable variety run wild from 
one end of Ruatan to the other. Other fruits grow just as easily as the cocoanut. De- 
licious oranges, bananas, mangoes, plums and pineapples grow without any cultivation, 
and all one has to do is to pick them. Vegetables, including sweet potatoes or yams, are 
equally abundant and prodigal in growth. A piece of sugar cane stuck into the ground 
takes root and renews itself perennially for many years. A stranger who comes to the 
islands is invariably amazed at the prodigality of nature and the apathy of the inhabitants, 
but that is before the lazy feeling gets into his blood. "Why don't you grow this?" and 
"Why don't you cultivate that?" he asks. The natives simply smile. "Why not take 
things easy and be happy," they say. Usually the newcomer after a time agrees with them 
and becomes as lazy as they are. Many young men and young women are envious of other 
young people who have abundance and luxury and think they would make much more out 
of their lives if they were so situated when if they could only nave their desires granted 
it would sap all the strength and forcefulness in them. There is an old proverb which 
says that "Necessity is the mother of invention," and it is certain that hardship and strug- 
gle often bring out strong and robust manhood, where ease and self-indulgence would 
cause the budding ability to wither under the sun of prosperity. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

GOD'S TENDERNESS. 219 

A heart-breaking scene occurred in the court room of a western city recently. A 
father and mother had separated. They had one five-year-old son who had been under 
the care of the mother. At the close of the trial, while yet in the presence of the Court, 
the mother said, "Well, anyhow, I don't intend to keep the boy any longer. Go on to 
your father," she exclaimed, pushing the lad over toward her husband. "Oh, mamma, I 
want to stay with you," the little fellow cried, clinging to her. "I'll take him, Your Honor," 
the man spoke up eagerly. "Take him, then," the mother said angrily. "Let loose of me." 
This was to the child, whose grasp she broke, and with a rough shove, sent stumbling up 
against his father. "Oh, mamma, mamma," the boy shrieked, starting back toward her, 
but she turned her back on him and left the court room. Such hard-hearted conduct on 
the part of a mother is very rare indeed. It brings out the thought that David gives us in 
one of his Psalms, where he sets forth that even if such an unusual and unnatural thing 
should occur, as that his father and mother should forsake him, yet the Lord would remain 
faithful and would take him up and care for him. 

THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 220 

Hardly a winter passes but from the great sheep ranges of thg Northwest comes some 
story of the intelligence, faithfulness and endurance of a shepherd's only companion, his 
collie dog. Perhaps the herder has died in his little cabin or tent, and day after day the 
dog has herded the sheep, putting them in the corral at night and taking them out to graze 
in the early morning, without sign or word from his master. Perhaps both master and 
dog have been overtaken with their flock in a blinding, freezing storm, and the dog is 
found lying on his master's body in a snow drift, trying to keep it from freezing. It is 
always the same story of the dog, "the brain of a man, the heart of a woman." The true 
shepherd dog never deserts his flock or his master but is always faithful unto death. Some- 
times it occurs that one of these noble shepherd creatures will be attached to a brutal 
shepherd, but he is none the less faithful. He will mind his sheep on the hills, patiently 
waiting for his master's coming from the liquor saloon in the town, and guide his 
reeling footsteps to his home. Surely if God has made a dog capable of such fidelity, and 
such unselfish faithfulness even to an unworthy object, we may not fear to trust him 
when he compares himself to a shepherd. And our hearts may be perfectly at rest when 
we have committed them to Christ, who calls Himself "The Good Shepherd" who giveth His 
own life for the sheep 

CONQUERING FEAR. 221 

A steeple-climber of Charlestown, Mass., who was asked recently if he did not feel 
tear in high places, frankly and wisely answered: "Of course, I feel fear at times; fear is 
common to all mankind. Not to feel fear is not courage ; to overcome fear is the true 
quality of courage." That is a true and wise answer. Many people go timid and fearful 
all their lives, and their careers are spoiled by this lack of courage which it is within their 
power to surmount. A disposition to fear should be faced just as deliberately and serious- 
ly as a disposition to laziness, or any other weakness. 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

BLACK AND WHITE. 222 

The Atlanta Journal tells a story of a man who was injured in a railroad wreck in 
Georgia. He was scalded on the shoulder very badly, but after proper treatment in the 
hospital all healed except a place about five inches square. The doctor clipped pieces of 
skin off of his arm and grafted them into this place. He had a colored nurse that let the 
doctor cut a few pieces from his arm to piece out with, and they turned white in a few 
days and have remained white ever since. The suggestion from this is that the blood de- 
termines the color, and the black skin changed to white when different blood came from a 
different heart. Character and conduct are like that; change the heart and the conduct 
changes itself, almost unconsciously. Conduct is the skin and character the heart of life.. 
This shows the wisdom of God when He says: "Son give me thy heart." 

UNCHANGEABLE GOLD. 223, 

The excavations in the site of the ancient Forum at Rome are being carried on with 
success. A little while ago two of the workmen engaged in the work of ancient antiquities, 
laid open a sewer datmg from the time of Nero, and suddenly became aware of the pres- 
ence of a glittering substance. They proceeded to the discovery of a quantity of gold coins 
embedded in the sediment of the sewer. They filled a hat with these coins, which, when 
washed, enumerated and classified, proved to be the gold pieces of the fourth and fifth cen- 
turies, that had evidently been thrown where they were found, for concealment at the time 
of an incursion of the Barbarians, their owners having had no opportunity of recovering 
them. They were all beautifully preserved and many of them were evidently fresh from the 
mint. There are 379 coins in number and belong to seven different reigns. Real gold never 
loses its value. Bury it a thousand years and when it is found it is worth as much as when 
it was lost. Real gold in character is the same. The shams perish but genuine integrity 
and truth keep their worth. You may cover them over with criticism, or abuse, or partisan 
strife, but wherever they come to the light, the gold of noble character will shine forth and 
they will receive due honor. 

SENTIMENT IN LIFE. 224 

Postmaster General Gary, writinsr of the United States postal department, tells the 
story of a young lady who writes to her b^-other, she being in Key West, Florida, and he 
in the Klondike, and he traces the letter over the journey of 7,000 miles, throughout which 
the government transports it for a two-cent stamp. No profit in money accrues to the gov- 
ernment for delivering that letter ; indeed, each letter sent into the Klondike costs the gov- 
ernment for transportation a great many times the amount of postage charged ; but he 
rightly reasons that we cannot reckon the profit only in dollars and cents. We must take 
into consideration also the happiness and satisfaction afforded this brother as he sits by his 
fire of pine logs, nerhaps home^sick and lonely, but now with a loving smile illuminating 
his face as he reads and reads again every word his thoughtful sister has written about 
home, mother, father and others whom he holds dear. When, finally, he places his treasure 
under his pillow and seeks rest he is liappier than for many a day, and the government in 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

the added loyalty of this citizen is well repaid for the small pecuniary loss sustained. Sen- 
timent cannot be left out of account in dealing with men and women. No man ever makes 
so great a blunder as when he undertakes to deal with men and women or children as 
though they were machines. They are thinking, hoping, fearing, loving, hating human 
hearts, the most sensitive creation in God's universe. 

JUSTICE TO THE POOR. 225 

Lord Rowton has built recently a great club for poor men in Hammersmith, London, 
where a bed alone costs twelve cents a night. Breakfast and dinner are supplied according 
to one's purse. Ihe Rowton houses have been a great blessing to multitudes of men of 
scanty means. In sanitation and illumination they are as perfect as the high-priced hotels. 
They are so comfortable and popular that applicants have to put down their names months 
in advance. Lord Rowton proceeds on the basis that he is to receive a maximum of five 
per cent for his investment, and any further profits are applied to reducing the cost of food. 
He intends to build a house for women, of the same sort. The evident justice of this 
philanthropic man's eflforts to help people of small income to a healthy and comfortable ex- 
istence is very encouraging. There certainly is no reason why fiv.^ per cent should not be 
enough for a business man to make on an investment among the poor, when capitalists fall 
over themselves in a struggle to get government bonds at three per cent. Simple, honest 
justice will do wonders in making the world a sweeter place in which lO live. 

A STRONG MAN'S WEAK POINT. 226 

Winston Churchill in his history of "The River War" gives a remarkable picture of 
Lord Kitchener which shows up all sides of the character of that interesting man. He says 
that Kitchener's wonderful industry, his undisturbed patience, his noble perseverance, are 
qualities too valuable for a man to enjoy in this imperfect world without complementary 
defects. The General, who never spared himself, cared little for others. He treated all men 
like machines — from the private soldiers, whose salutes he disdained, to the superior officers 
he rigidly controlled. The comrade who had served with him and under him for many 
years in peace and peril was flung aside as soon as he ceased to be of use. The Sirdar only 
looked to the soldiers who could march and fight. The wounded Egyptian, and latterly the 
wounded British soldier, did not excite his interest, and of all the departments of his army 
the one neglected was that concerned with the care of the sick and injured. The stern and 
unpitying spirit of the commander was communicated to his troops and the victories which 
marked the progress of the River War were accompanied by many acts of barbarity. With 
all his victories how unlovely such defects make the man. Christ has shown us that a man 
can be strong — bravely, nobly, perfectly strong — and yet tender and gentle as a child. True 
greatness must not only be strong but gentle. 

LOFTY IDEALS. 227 

Paderewski, the great pianist, recently speaking about his art, said : "It is not from 
choice that my life is music, and nothing more, but when one is an artist, what else can he 

100 



FISHERS OF MEN, 

be? When a whole life time is too short to attain anything like the heights he would 
reach, how, then, can he devote any of the little time he has to things outside of his art?" 
"And you have not yet attained the heights you seek?" inquired the gentleman who was 
conversing with him, recalling the scene of the great musician's last concert in New York, 
when the women closed in about the stage and snowed his feet six inches deep with flowers 
from their own gowns. "I?" said the artist, shaking his head, "I am nothing! If you 
could know the dream of what I would be, you would realize how little I have accom- 
plished." No great triumphs are ever won without lofty ideals. \ poor marksman may 
shoot above his mark when shooting at a target with a rifle, but in real life that never 
happens. 

THE VALUE OF EMOTION. 228 

A great musician says that emotion is the basic principle of music, the foundation and 
the finishing touch. He says the clapping of hands are not the only applause that greets the 
successful artist, that tears and smiles and sadness and elation are all nobler tributes to 
his execution than any boisterous applause could offer. This musical philosopher also de- 
clares that no music which he renders can put emotions into people's hearts which he him- 
self does not at first feel and put into it. And that music is merely the channel through 
which the emotions of the artist are sent to other people. There is a great deal of truth in 
that, and it is a very interesting truth when applied to modern religious movements. The 
lack of emotion is a great loss of power in much of modern preaching. Human nature will 
be the same in its essence until the end of the chapter. Though the old shouting days may 
be past, great religious transformations will never be wrought save under the influence of 
the same kind of sacred spell and intense feeling that made men want to shout in the days 
of our fathers. 

YOUTH THE AGE OF PREPARATION. 229 

Paderewski was recently asked if he thought it to be of great advantage to commence 
young in playing the piano, and replied that he regarded it a very great advantage. If one 
should begin when the mind is quick and alert and impressionable to learn the music of 
earth, how much more should the plastic soul be preempted by good teaching in order to 
train the young immortal in the glorious music of the skies. 

SPIRITUAL GENIUS. 230 

Paderewski was recently asked how long he would continue to play, and his answer 
was : "Always, I suppose. Indeed, my life would be quite void without music. I cannot 
imagine what I would do if I were compelled to deny myself its comforts." "Don't most 
people drop it when they grow old?" "Yes, amateurs, but artists cling to it." "Does not 
genius grow old and lose its youth, just like we do?" Paderewski smiled as he responded, 
"Genius is one of the few things that are supposed to improve with age." Christ clothes 
those who surrender themselves entirely to Him with a genius for spiritual things. Their 
love for Him and their devotion to righteousness, their hope and faith and love concerning 
the noblest things, keep fresh and green in old age and bear fruit unto the last. Some of 

lOI 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

'US are dull enough, in many departments of life, but spiritual genius which shall grow more 
t)eautiful and glorious as the hair whitens and the years are added, is within the reach of 
every one of us. 

THE SAVING GRACE OF HUMOR. 231 

A soldier writing from the Philippines says that when his regiment first went out to 
Manila there were a great many homesick men. Everybody had the blues; that is, nearly 
'everybody, for there were a few who had been born with a cheery, good-humored tempera- 
ment and with the disposition to see the bright, happy side of everything. They soon dis- 
•covered that every battery, troop, company or even squad contained at least one man in 
whom the sense of humor was highly developed. This man was a great blessing to his 
comrades. He could see the ridiculo s side of every hardship, every phase of camp life 
and every misfortune. He was optimistic, cheerful and sanguine, yet kindly and consider- 
ate of the feelings of others. He could find a joke where most men would never dream it 
could exist. Even the most trivial incident he would turn to the most humorous account. 
If the sun was too hot, he would remind them that it would reduce the weight of each man 
so that the next march would be all the more easy. If the mess was bad, why, mother's 
pies v/ould be all the more appreciated when they got home. The writer declares that these 
laughing, good-humored soldiers were the greatest benediction to the army and saved the 
lives of many discouraged, homesick volunteers. Clean, wholesome humor is just as valu- 
able in every department of life. It is a great mistake to suppress the humorous spirit. God 
gave it to us for development and use and we should use it as one of his good gifts to 
bring good cheer to our fellowmen. 

SELF-COMPOSURE AS A WEAPON. 232 

An Idaho miner tells an interesting story of a prospecting trip in the mountains. He 
was coming along down the mountain side, when coming around the top of a fallen tree he ran 
plump against a very unusual sight. On a grassy spot, in the full blaze of the sun, lay four 
mountain lions fast asleep. For half a minute he thought them dead, but as he stood star- 
ing every one of the four sprang up with a growl. He had a gun in his hands, but with 
the four of them so close to him he knew he had no chance in a fight, so he stood still. The 
lions stood there facing him, snifiEling and growling and switching their tails, and had he 
but moved a finger they would have been on him. But the man stood motionless eyeing 
them in silence. By and by one of the beasts dropped his tail and whined. His actions 
were followed by another, and a few seconds later the four made a sneak down the canyon 
growling and whining as they went. His self-composure saved him. There are many times 
in life when all a man can do is "to stand still and see the salvation of God." 

CHi^^GING CONDITIONS BRING NEW ASSOCIATIONS. 233 

A very remarkable thing has happened to the Mississippi river. On account of the 
small rainfall through the Mississippi valley for months passed, the Mississippi river has 
changed its course and is now running up stream for hundreds of miles and has become a 
salt water river. One of the remarkable features of this conversion of the Mississippi from 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

a fresh to a salt water stream is in the change in the fishing it affords at New Orleans. The 
Mississippi under ordinary circumstances is a very poor stream for fishing, on account of 
the mud. Catfish and buffalos are about the only fish that prosper in it, and these taste a 
good deal like extract of river mud. But with the advent of salt water, and the disap- 
pearance of the mud, the lower Mississippi has become a great resort for fishermen, and in 
New Orleans hundreds of men may be seen every day seated on the wharves fishing for 
salt water fish and meeting with wonderful success. There is a suggestion in this of the 
change which comes in a man's life when he has been living in a sensual, earthly way, hold- 
ing association with low and evil things, who turns over a new leaf and yields himself to 
be the servant of Christ. He finds his heart and thought so transformed that he is con- 
stantly astonished at the new associations with which he finds himself placed. I knew a 
man once who was so impressed with this fact after his conversion that he told me that 
sometimes in the church in the midst of a sermon, the gladness of his new fellowships 
would come over him and he would be afraid that it was a mistake and would actually pinch 
himself to make sure he was the same man and was not dreaming. 

A SURE REFUGE. 234 

A New Orleans lawyer recently remarked that a very interesting fact of modern life 
seems to have escaped attention. It is that the world has wiped its last City of Refuge off 
the map. There is no longer any spot on the globe where our fugitives from justice are 
safe from extradition. This veteran attorney says that when he first began to practice law 
an American criminal had a wide range of choice in the matter of refuge. Spain, Turkey, 
Algiers, Japan, Holland, Chili, Ecuador, the Phillipines. Cuba, and all of Central America 
guaranteed security from murderers down, and the list of resorts for lesser criminals was 
very much larger. But now every place on earth is dangerous to the criminal and there is 
no refuge left. It is always dangerous to the sinner, but thank God, there is one City of 
Refuge that is not closed and never will be closed until the day of Judgment. Christ is the 
sinner's City of Refuge ; the doors stand open day and night and "whosoever will may 
come." Christ gives the assurance that "him that cometh unto me. I will in no wise cast 
out." 

A LIVING FENCE. 235 

A traveler in Cuba tells that when a man wishes a fence around his yard in that coun- 
try, he doesn't build it, he plants it and lets it grow. First he cuts a great bundle of pinon 
twigs ; then he scratches a little trench where he wants his fence to run, and finally he sticks 
in the twigs in a row a few inches apart. The soil of Cuba is so rich and the weather so 
warm and moist that directly the twigs take root, throw out branches and leaves, and pres- 
ently there is a dense hedge of pinon trees enclosing the field. And there are no nails to 
drop out nor boards to fall down and let in the cattle, and the fence is good for a hundred 
years. A living fence is always the safest. A negative wall by which a man stands on 
guard against wrong-doing is never so strong a defense for righteousness as that which is 
built around the life when a man does right, not because the commandment says "Thou 
shalt not," but because he loves God with all his heart, and has so given himself up to the 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

divine service that a living hedge of affection and worship and loyal devotion holds him 
back from doing anything that would displease God. 

THE EVER PRESENT FRIEND. 236 

When Lord Roberts left London for South Africa recently, a great throng composed of 
princes, ministers and generals, and titled and fashionable people, were at Waterloo station 
to see him off. The Prince of Wales shouted, "Good luck, 'Bobs,' and God speed !" And 
there were volleys of cheers from the platform as the distinguished soldier disappeared from 
view. It reminds one of the time when General "Chinese" Gordon started on his ill-fated 
journey for Khartoum. Mr. Gladstone and many princes and distinguished men were at 
the station to see him off, but none of them went with him, and he went alone into the 
desert to meet his death. Our friends can comfort us by giving us "God speed" on our 
way to the great battles of life, but there is one "Friend" that will go with us and be at 
our side on every battlefield and in every lonely, homesick camp. Christ is the ever pres- 
ent, ever true friend "who sticketh closer than a brother." 

KEEPING IN FORM. 237 

"John, 1 would like to know what makes your back so straight," said a rich man in 
Philadelphia to his coachman the other day. "And how do you stand the fatigue of sitting 
so beautifully erect while you drive for hours and hours at a stretch." The coachman 
blushed with pleasure as he led his master to a light and airy corner of the carriage house. 
"I will show you the kind of exercise I take every day, sir," he said, "so as to be a credit 
to your livery and your equipage, and yourself and lady." The man then lay down on his 
stomach and drew upward his body and his legs until he formed a V, touching the ground 
only at the middle in front. "I do this two hundred times a day, sir," he said. "It gives 
correct carriage." Then, on parallel bars, he dipped "One hundred of these daily, sir, 
expand the chest and give a robust grace to the upper arms and shoulders." He put his 
arms well stiffened at his side and then slowly raised them till the hands met over his 
head. "I do about five hundred of that movement for a chest broadener, also for straight- 
eners." He then nearly touched his back with the crown of his head and quite touched his 
chest with his chin. "That straightens the neck, sir, I continue for an hour or two every 
morning, and I don't believe, as long as I keep it up, I'll ever lose my figure." Ministers 
and other workers of that kind might get a good lesson from this coachman. The preacher, 
teacher, editor, doctor, or lawyer, who is as careful to keep himself in as good intellectual 
form as that coachman was to keep his figure up to the mark, can laugh at the dead line. 

FIDELITY TO RELIGIOUS CONVICTION. 238 

Queen Victoria has a great deal of feminine interest in needle work and spends much 
time learning new things in embroidery and crochet work. A few years ago she was spend- 
ing some time at Wiesbaden and she used to drive to the bazaar and look at the needle work. 
One day the young woman who usually waited on her showed her a brand new stitch and 
was asked to call the next day and teach Her Majesty how to make it. She was to make a 

104. 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

second call to finish the job several days later, but in the meantime was taken ill and the 
proprietor of the establishment was beside herself with worry as to how and where she 
would get a substitute. On the day before the appointed time a young American girl from 
one of our western towns came to the bazaar and saw and admired the piece of needle work, 
and told the saleswoman that it was the first she had seen since she herself had finished a 
similar piece. "Then you know how to do the stitch?" "Certainly," said the young woman. 
"Why?" There was whispered consultation with the proprietor and then the young girl was 
asked if she would act as substitute »he next day and teach the Queen of England the new 
stitch. You can imagine that she did not hesitate. She went to her hotel and, radiant with 
joy and excitement, told her mother of her good fortune, and, after she had received the 
congratulation of her friends, her mother shattered all her plans by reminding her that the 
next day was Saturday and that, as a good Jewess, she could do no sewing on that day. And 
now the young woman tells the story of how near she came to teaching Queen Victoria a 
new stitch. It is impossible not to admire such fidelity as that shown by this mother and her 
daughter. People who stand by their faith like that may be always sure that their convictions 
will be respected by others. 

APPEARANCE OFTEN IMPORTANT. 239 

The rice planters and millers of Southwestern Louisiana are having some trouble with 
the crop of this season. For some unaccountable reason a considerable percentage of it is 
red. This is not the first season that red grains have appeared among the white, but never 
before have the proportion been so large. An examination by chemists has shown that the 
red rice is equally as nutritious as white. The value of the article as a matter of food is not 
in the least injured by the red grain. But the fact remains that the colored grains uijure 
the sale of the rice in which they appear. There is a movement on foot among the millers 
looking to the removal of the prejudice against red rice on the part of the consumers, but 
it does not seem to meet with very much success. There is something very much like that 
in morals and religion which Paul describes when he says, "Let not your good be evil spokea 
of." We should not only do good but do it in a beautiful, attractive way. The way we do 
our g-^od deeds affects their influence very largely. 

A MOTHER'S INTUITION. 240 

An old army surgeon tells how during the Civil War he brought North a boy who was 
badly wounded in battle, and took him home to his father and mother. The wound was so 
bad that he hesitated to explain the nature of it. "Have you seen our boy?" asked the father 
at once, when he came into the room. "Yes, and I've got a parcel for you." "Where is it?** 
cried the anxious mother, looking round. The doctor replied slowly, "Well, 'twas too big 
for me to carry up here." The mother's intuition immediately realized what the "parcel" 
was and rushing down stairs she soon had her son in her arms. How much it means when 
God says He will treat us "As one whom his mother comforteth." 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

AN UNWORTHY KISS. 241 

A man who was arrested for stealing and tried before an English court, concealed a 
diamond ring in a very unusual wa:y. He was most carefully searched by the police, but the 
ring could not be discovered. Later his wife was admitted to see him at the door of his cell, 
and he put the ring into her mouth by means of his tongue when kissing her. Thus a ki^s 
was used to cover a crime, as it was once used by Judas as a method of committing one. 
There seems something specially revolting when the peculiar symbols of love are degraded 
and debased to wicked uses. 

THE FRAILTY OF EARTHLY BEAUTY. 242 

A woman who was one of the most renowned of the beauties of the second Empire, has 
recently died in France. The Comtesse de Castiglione was one of the most lovely women of 
her epoch. The great sorrow of her kter years was the loss of her beauty. When her 
beauty began to vanish her anguish of mind was intense, and was displayed in her actions and 
mode of life. She possessed a portrait, or rather a full length picture of herself, by a famous 
artist. One day her friends noticed that it had disappeared from the walls of her drawing- 
room. The Comtesse had fretted over the fact that every day she was growing more and 
more unlike the exquisite creature portrayed on the canvas, which, in a final fit of anger and 
vexation, she had cut up into strips with a pair of scissors. Soul beauty need not be lost as 
old age comes on. Beauty of heart and character may grow even more charming and fas- 
cinating in old age. Nothing could be more unwise than to devote attention to beauty of 
face or figure to the neglect of the charms of the spirit, 

THE TESTIMONY OF LITTLE THINGS. 243 

The story is told of Bishop Wilberforce that on his attendance at a meeting of the 
clergy at Clapham his chaplain told him that an old minister who had been many years in the 
diocese was vexed at having been forgotten. "Yes," said the Bishop, "I have not the smallest 
recollection of him, but I will make it all right and will go out and speak to him. Which is 

he?" He was pointed out, and the Bishop made his way to him. "My dear Dr. , I have 

not had a moment for real conversation with you. I need not ask how you are after all these 
years. Do you still ride your old gray mare?" "Yes, my lord; how good of you to remem- 
ber her," etc., etc. The chaplain who was within ear-shot said when he again came near 

the Bishop : "Then you aid remember Dr. after all ?" "Not a bit of it," said the 

Bishop, "I saw the gray hairs on his coat and I chanced the sex." You may depend on it 
the gray horse hairs will betray you every time. The little things of life are vastly more 
important in settling our position with others than most of us imagine. 

PROTECTING THE CHILDREN. 244 

An exciting incident occurred not long ago at a fruit ranch near San Jose, California. 
A mother had placed her baby on a sunny porch to play, the porch being enclosed with a 
wire screen. While attending to her household duties she was startled by a shriek from 
the child and the sound of a heavy thud from the porch. Rushing to the rescue, she found 

106 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

the baby boy on his back crying with fright, while outside the wire screen an eagle lay, ap- 
parently stunned but making strong efforts to fly. After a brief time it succeeded in doing 
so, making his way in unsteady flight toward the mountains. The wire screen was all that 
saved the child's life. Parents and teachers cannot be too alert in protecting childhood from 
the human birds of prey that constantly seek their destruction. 

A LIBEL OF CHRISTIANITY. 245 

An extraordinary scene was enacted by a real and a mock Mussulman outside a boulevard 
cafe in Paris recently. A law student, having had himself photographed in the costume of a 
Mohometan mosque dignitary, walked about the streets in the strange garb and then sat out- 
side the refreshment establishment with a glass of liquor before him. Soon there passed 
that way a genuine follower of the Prophet who could scarcely believe his eyes when he 
saw a person dressed as an iman imbibing strong drink. Rushing at the student the Mussul- 
man knocked the glass out of his hand and smashed the bottle standing on the table at 
which he sat. I wish it were as unusual to see a man dressed like a Christian taking strong 
drink. It is a monstrous shame that the name Christian in heathen lands is so often con- 
nected with the liquor traffic, and with drunkenness. 

A WRONG START. 246 

At a street fair in Kansas a few months ago the Wells Fargo Express Company had a 
float in the parade. The float represented a big delivery wagon piled full of express packages, 
and in preparing it the express people borrowed from a packing company a couple of meat 
boxes. To make the display seem realistic these boxes were stenciled with the fictitious ad- 
dresses "J- Scholson, Berlin, Germany," and "A. Hunt, Liverpool, England." After the 
parade the float was driven to the express office and unloaded, and that was supposed to be 
the end of the affair. But it was not the end, for some weeks later the Wichita agent re- 
ceived a couple of tracers informing him that one box was in Berlin and the other in Liver- 
pool, and that the people to whom they were addressed could not be found. Investigation 
then revealed that the night force at the office had found the boxes piled upon the platform 
and had billed them out according to address. I fear many people are making that same mis- 
take in more serious matters. They have been brought up among Christians and they are 
expecting to go to heaven, but they are addressed toward sensuality and sin and eternal 
separation from all that God loves. A man ought to be sure that his face is turned the way 
he wants to go. 

A PASSION FOR SOULS. 247 

The story of Professor Samuel F. B. Morse, the inventor of the electric telegraph, is one 
of pathetic interest. He was an artist of no ordinary ability. He might have achieved fame 
in his profession if his mind had not taken hold of the greater thought. He became so deeply 
interested in the possibilities of electricity that he gave up his profession and devoted all his 
time and energy to this one thing. He denied himself the common necessaries of life, en- 
countering embarrassments and delays of the most distressing kind, but he pressed on in his 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

studies and experiments. He did not pursue a shadow. He was satisfied that electricity 
could be utilized to convey intelligence instantaneously between two distant points. But the 
difficulty of inventing a mechanical device whereby advantage might be taken of the laws and 
properties of this powerful agent was very great. But he gave his soul up to this. It was 
more to him than food and drink and sleep. The world knows the result; he did not toil 
nor suffer in vain. The electric telegraph was the child of his toiling brain. Let any man 
of ordinary intelligence have a passion for winning souls for Christ, to be compared with 
Morse's passion for electrical discovery, and you will see such marvelous results that man- 
kind will be blessed throughout all eternity. Moody was a man like that, and what marvels 
God has wrought through him. 

WITH EAGLES' WINGS. 248 

There is in the Natural History Museum in Washington a model of the skull of an 
€agle so gigantic that the imagination can scarcely fit him to the life of this planet at all. 
The whole head is larger than that of an ox, and the beak resembles a pair of hjdraulic 
shears. Unlike most the giant beasts, this eagle, which inhabited Patagonia, appears from its 
remains to have differed little in form from the existing species. Its size alone distinguishes 
it. The quills of the feathers which bore ths awful bird through the air must have been as 
thick as a walking stick, and the webs as wide as oar-blades. It could have killed and torn 
to pieces creatures as large as a buffalo and could have whirled up into the sky v/ith a young 
bull in its claws as easily as a modern eagle of California carries the land tortoises on which 
it feeds. Even today there are few carniverous animals, whether birds or beasts, which have 
so wide a range of prey as the eagle. From serpents in the burning desert to seals on the 
■everlasting ice, from monkeys in the tropical forests to marmots on the Alpine slopes, from 
lambs on the highland hills to peacocks in the Indian jungles, no form of fish, flesh or fowl, 
comes amiss to him, and the young eagle, driven by the inexorable law of his race from the 
home where he was reared, finds a free breakfast table wherever he flies. The Christian man 
is in God's thought, to be like the eagle. He is to get good from every beautiful and noble 
thing in the universe. The beautiful in sight, in sound and harmony, — all that can minister 
to comfort or taste or character, are to be food to nourish his highest manhood. It means 
much when God says about those who trust him, that they shall "mount up with wings as 

THE PATHOS OF COURAGE. 249 

It is often very pathetic to see the courageous smile that is assumed by men &.id women 
to hide the sorrow that is gnawing at the heart. Ella Fuller Maitland, in the London Specta- 
tor, sings of this in a description of the music of a regiment of soldiers starting for South 

Africa. She says: 

Through the dim London morning 

The soldiers rode away ; 
The crowd, in sable round them ; 

The sky above them gray. 

Two strains of music played them — 

One mournful and one glad. 
It was the mournful music 

That sounded the least sad. 
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FISHERS OF MEN. 

THREE ANGELS. 250 

There are three angels that are within the reach of every one of us, however hard and 

lonely and full of struggle life may be. There are three angels whose Jtellowship cannot 

help but make it worth living and in association with whom our character mast become noble. 

Some one sings of them in a very helpful lay : 

They say this life is barren, drear, and cold 
Ever the same sad song was sung of old, 
Ever the same long weary tale is told. 
And to our lips is held the cup of strife. 
And yet — a little love can sweeten life. 

They say our hands may grasp but joys destroyed, 
Youth has but dreams, and age an aching void. 
Whose Dead- Sea fruit, long, long ago has cloyed, 
Whose night with wild tempestuous storms is rife — 
And yet a little hope can brighten life. 

They say we fling ourselves in wild despair 
Amidst the broken treasures scattered there. 
Where all is wrecked, where all once promised fair; 
And stab ourselves with sorrow's two-edged knife — 
And yet a little patience strengthens life. 

It is then true, this tale of bitter grief, 

Of mortal anguish finding no relief? 

Lo ! midst the Winter shines the laurel's leaf ; 

Three angels share the lot of human strife, 

Three angels glorify the path of life. 

Love, Hope, and Patience cheer us on our way, 
Love, Hope, and Patience form our spirit's stay, 
Love, Hope, and Patience watch us day by day, 
And bid the desert bloom with beauty vernal. 
Until the earthly fades in the eternal. 

UNRECOGNIZED BENEFACTORS. 251 

It is doubtful if the average man or woman appreciates as he or she ought the blessings 
which come from the quiet and studious lives of scholarly and scientific men who devote 
their talents and their time to studying into the great secrets of nature. A recent writer 
calls attention to this in connection with Lord Kelvin's scientific discoveries which do not 
lend themselves easily to popular description. His work has had many sides. To perhaps 
the majority of people who know of him at all, he is known as an inventor whose instru- 
ments are the standard used in ail exact electrical measurements, whether in the laboratory 
or in the workshop; whose compass and sounding machine by freeing the course of the 
mariner from error due to the magnetism of the ship and making his approach to the coast 
in thick weather easily ascertainable, has saved thousands of lives, and robbed ocean naviga- 
tion to a great extent of its perils and delays. How many who thus ride safely through the 
storm and are guided safely past the dangerous rocks have no thought of thankfulness to 
the quiet student who thus laid his hand in benediction on all humanity present and to 
come. 'Tis good to so live that all life is the richer for our living. 

log 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

THE MOST POISONOUS OF ALL SERPENTS. 252 

Dr. Howard A. Kelly, of the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, declares that the 
use of whisky as an antidote for snake poison is a great mistake. He says that he is firmly 
convinced that more persons who die after being bitten by poisonous snakes are killed by 
the whisky they drink than by the snake poison. It is a common notion that it is impossible 
for a person to get drunk who has been bitten by a snake. Acting on that theory, a pint, 
and in some cases a quart of whisky has often been given as an antidote. Dr. Kelly says 
that whisky is a poison, and taken in such quantities would often produce death anyway, 
without the snake bite. However this may be, it is most surely true that the serpent in the 
strong drink bites to the death more human beings than all other poisonous serpents in the 
world combined. Solomon was never wiser than when he said, "Strong drink is raging, 
and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." 

PROPHEIC EVENTS. 253 

The increased price of iron in this country has led to a very profitable business enter- 
prise in gathering up old iron in the Island of Cuba and shipping it to the United States. 
One man has shipped thirty-five thousand tons of Havanna to New Orleans. The stuff 
which he secured was chiefly the wreckage and debris of war. For example, there were 
about four thousand tons of old cannon balls scattered between Morro and Cabannas. They 
were obsolete projectles, mostly round, solid shot, intended for the antique muzzle loaders, 
with which the fortifications fairly bristled. They have been shipped to American foundries, 
and will be made into stoves and pots and kettles. What a blessed day it will be for the 
world when all the enginery of war shall have grown obsolete and unnecessary, and their 
materials turned into the implements of peace. Isaiah saw that day, and said, "They shall 
beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nations shall not 
lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." Every man who 
yields his heart to Christ and seeks to live in His spirit is hastening the coming of that 
glorious day. 

GREAT MEN'S DEBT TO THEIR WIVES. 254 

Lady Beaconsfield was an enthusiastic sympathizer with her husband in all his interests 
and was devoted to him. When in the Commons he was constantly at work and gave him- 
self little rest. He used to dine late at night, and very sparingly. Once referring to this 
hasty dinner and assiduous attendance, a gentleman said to Lady Beaconsfield that he could 
not understand how her husband kept going. "Ah. but," she answered, "I always have 
supper for him when he comes home, and lights, lights, plenty of lights — Dizzy always likes 
lights, and then he tells me everything that has happened in the House and then I clap him 
off to bed." Many a great man whose light as shone round the world has owed his illumi- 
nation largely to the light he found in the true heart by the fireside. 

THE SPIRIT MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE DEED. 255 

There are a great number of modern crimes which could not have been committed in 
ancient days because the instruments for the perpetration did not exist. They are the ottt- 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

come of modern civilization and they require new legislation. For instance, the tapping of 
a telegraph wire is a modern form of highway robbery. In the old days the method was to 
waylay the courier on the road and to rob him of his purse or his message. The formula of 
the modern highwayman is not "Stand and deliver," but simply "Deliver!" And he may 
get a message from the lightning courier which may be worth more to him than a well- 
filled purse. But there is nothing to be gained by indiscriminate tapping. It is some special 
message or information that the thief is looking for ; possibly for its effect on the stock 
market or on other business ventures. But the use of cipher codes renders the tapping of 
telegraph wires of little avail even in time of war, unless the code as well as the message 
has been stolen. For the tapping of power or light lines the modern highwayman comes in 
out of the rain. He can do his business better in doors, better by attacking the electric 
meter, confusing its calculations, and thus getting more current than he pays for. So the 
legislatures keep busy making new statutes to fit the crimes that keep pace with modern in- 
vention. But the spirit, the motive which causes crime was just the same in the old time 
as it is now. And in Grod's sight it is always the spirit that is important. 

FLOWERS IN PRISON. 256 

The authorities at the House of Correction in Chicago are going to try an interesting 
experiment in the way of raising flowers by the work of criminals. Three large green 
houses have been built, and it is the purpose of the superintendent to employ in the work of 
producing the most beautiful roses the most hardened women who are committed to his 
care, and he believes that it will have a more softening and beneficial effect on them than 
the heavier labor in the laundry which is usually selected for women prisoners. The 
superintendent got his idea in a very interesting way. One day a beautiful girl who was 
deeply interested in charitable work came and asked to see the women prisoners. The 
superintendent himself took her among them where they were at work. She wore a red rose 
in her hair, and the minute the women saw her "Maggie the Terror," as she was called, 
a woman more dreaded by the other women in the institution than any other, attracted the 
visitor's attention. Suddenly the girl walked over to Maggie, and, taking the rose from her 
hair, handed it to her, Maggie looked worried and then smiled, and, though the superinten- 
dent had known her for years, for the first time he heard her say, "God bless you." Maggie 
is now a faithful servant in the home of the young woman who handed her the rose, and 
the superintendent reasons that if the flower did so much for her, he cannot see why it 
should not help others. There is reason to hope that some good may be done by the experi- 
ment, but after all it was not the rose which was so great a factor in the salvation of Mag- 
gie as the sympathy and loving personality of the woman who gave it to her. Flowers are 
little unless they have personal love behind them. 

THE LIGHTSHIP. 257 

Richard Stillman Powell writes a very pretty little poem in the Criterion which he calls 
the "Lightship," which suggests the steady light which falls from God's word for th^ 
safety of voyagers on the sea of life. Mr. Powell sings : 

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When boats come home across the bar^ 

And winter's sunlight dies afar; 

When green and purple dust creeps down 

And hides the harbor and the town ; 

Each night far out to sea a beam 

Of pale, wan light sends forth its gleam 

Across the peaceful, darkening tides, 

And marks the lightship where she rides. 

When tempest-tossed, the ships slip by 
The foam-hid headland, and the sky 
Is torn with wrack of scudding cloud, 
And winds of winter cry aloud : 
Lo, through the roar of crashing wave, 
Above the tempest's moan and rave, 
A voice comes o'er the troubled tides. 
And marks where yet the lightship rides ! 

DOING THINGS THE HARD WAY. 258 

There are a good many people who always do things the hard way. Instead of using 
their heads and finding out how it can be done with the greatest expedition and through an 
outlay of the least force, they fly at a conclusion and waste their energy for lack of care- 
ful thought. A rather amusing story of Mike's experience with an umbrella illustrates 
many a man's predicament in the more serious things of life. Old Mike and his wife lived 
m 11 little cabin on the mountain, one of a type which is happily becoming every day more 
rart. The walls were of mud, and the floor of the same useful material, with a gutter run- 
ning down the middle to divide the family apartment from that of the cow and the donkey. 
To this mansion came His Reverence one cold, showery morning in March. His umbrella 
was wet and dripping, so, being a careful man, he placed it open in the space vacated by the 
animals who were grazing outside. After holding devotions with the family, the priest went 
for a stroll, while Moira, the wife, prepared his breakfast, for to entertain His Reverence 
.was a great honor. He had not gone far when a heavy shower obliged him to take shelter 
under a tree, and send a little gossoon running back after his umbrella. "His Riverence is 
afther sinding me to bring him his ombrell," said the boy, bursting into the cabin. "The 
saints presarve us !" said Mike, "maybe it's the thing he left there beyant, there in the cor- 
ner," and seizing the umbrella he tried to pass it through the door, but the entrance was low 
and narrow, and the umbrella large and wide. Without a moment's hesitation he caught 
up a spade and began shoveling down the wall at either side of the door. "Man alive !" said 
the priest, appearing on the scene, "whatever are ye at?" "Shure, it's makin' way I am for 
your Riverence's ombrell," said old Mike; "divil a bit of it '11 go through the door at all, at 
all." "Ah, nonsense, man," said His Reverence, laughing, and stepping inside, he took the 
umbrella out of the housewife's hand and closed it before them. Old Mike stared at it 
aghast. Then he turned to his wife, "Glory be to God, Moira," he said, "is there anything 
beyant the power of the priest?" 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

THE LETTER BUT NOT THE SPIRIT. 259 

There is perhaps no country among civilized nations where there is more superstition 
and a more careful keeping of religious forms, while the spirit is often lacking, than in 
Southern Italy. Before breaking into a shop or committing some other crime, the perpetra- 
tors will devoutly make the sign of the cross, and when a man goes to a duel he will 
sprinkle himself with holy water at the nearest church, in order to make sure that his re- 
volver will not miss fire or his knife fail. Even when robbing some valuable objects from a 
church altar the thief will first kneel down, murmuring an assurance that it is not contempt 
for the sacred utensils, but necessity, which leads him to the crime. I fear that in more 
enlightened countries there is practically the same sort of superstition and inconsistency. 
Many people hold to the letter, but deny the spirit of Godliness. But God, who sees the 
heart sees no virtue in anything we do except there be the righteous motive prompting it. 

THE OPEN HEART. 260 

John Vance Cheney publishes in the Century Magazine a beautiful little poem entitled 
"The Open Heart," which teaches that it is only to the heart that is open to receive God's 
message that the beautiful things of nature can betray their hidden secrets: 

Would you understand 
' The language with no word, 

The speech of brook and bird. 
Of waves along the sand? 

Would you make your own 

The meaning of the leaves, 

The song the silence weaves 
Where little winds make moan? 

Would you know how sweet 

The falling of the rill. 

The calling on the hill — 
All tunes the days repeat? 

Neither aims nor art. 

No toil, can help you here; 

The secret of the year 
Is in the open heart. 

THE HEROES OF PEACE. 261 

The New York Sun, speaking of the death of a captain in the fire department, re- 
marked that while his employment had none of the inspiration and the stimulus that is lent 
to the soldier in battle, by the hope of glory and the shock of personal conflict of man with 
man, was yet a hero in the truest sense. He stood ready by day and by night, to face death, 
and did face death five, ten, twenty times a week — not at the summons of the trumpets and 
the drums, but in the ringing of the gongs. In his fights with fire he had seen many an 

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engagement any one of which was the equal in risk to himself and his comrades of battles 
in memory of which men wear bronze buttons in their coat lapels. When the fireman climbs 
a wall with his scaling ladder and descends under the weight of a fainting woman ; when he 
makes a bridge of his back that those in peril may walk over to him in safety; when he 
hangs by his legs from a roof and swings one man after another from a window below out 
of danger to his side; when strapped to his seat on the engine, turning a corner at full 
speed, he overturns the engine to save an old apple woman from being run down, he is 
doing things for which men on the battlefield would win the Legion of Honor. The time 
will come when heroism in saving life will be counted nobler than in destroying it. 

DESTRUCTION WROUGHT BY PETTY VICES. 262 

There has been such an increase in the number of prairie dogs in certain portions of 
Texas during the past few years that it is said many farms will have to be abandoned un- 
less some method of exterminating the pests is adopted soon. These little animals have so 
multiplied since the coyotes and wolves have been driven out by the settlers that their col- 
onies are now overrunning the country. As many as five thousand of them have been found 
m a single prairie dog town, occupying a few acres of land. They will often move right 
into the center of a big wheat field, and establishing a town there, will destroy the grain of 
the entire field. Many human lives are wrecked in a similar way, not by large vices or by 
outbreaking and disgraceful sins, but by things which in themselves are regarded as petty 
and insignificant, but they eat out the roots of life, and destroy its power to concentrate on 
any great purpose. Solomon was wise when he said that we should look out for "the little 
foxes that spoil the grapes." 

MUSIC IN THE SMALL DEEDS OF LIFE. 263 

Singing birds are prized in all countries, but it is only in Japan that the notes of in- 
sects have been appreciated, and the insects named according to their different voices. The 
love of listening to these singing insects has for centuries been an impassioned pastime in 
Japan, and has created at last a unique trade and market. In Tokio toward the end of May 
little cages of exquisitely cut bamboo may be seen hung up on the verandas of houses, and in 
the cool of the dawn and at the close of summer days strange little whistles and tinklings 
and thrills proceed from these cages and make the air resound with the music. A recent 
traveler tells how he was moving from room to room in a quiet Buddhist temple at the hour 
of the hush that comes at the fall of twilight, when his attention was suddenly arrested by 
a silvery trill which filled at intervals the whole place. It was delicate and clear, like an 
etherealized bird's song, and yet of much smaller volume than a bird's note. He called the 
priest's daughter and asked her what it was he heard singing. "That is a Suzumushi sing- 
ing," she replied; "come and I will show you where it is." She led him to the back of the 
temple and pointed to the eaves of a cottage opposite. Looking across, he saw a tiny reed 
cage hanging up, and in one corner a small black insect, hardly discernable in the dim light. 
"That is the insect you heard singing," said the priest's daughter. "It is called a Suzu- 
mushi. and its voice is beautiful and cool." Since God has made even the least insects to 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

have beauty both in form and color and song, we should learn how to do the smallest deeds 
of every day life in a kindly, gracious way that shall have the effect of harmony and music 
upon others. What a difference there is between the musical life and the one that is full of 
harsh discord. Only by making Christ Master in our lives can they be set to heavenly music 
in all departments of expression. 

SETTLING THINGS RIGHT. 264 

It is an old proverb among reformers that "nothing is ever settled until it is settled 
right." The great French novelist, M. Zola, has put this motto in a new setting in com- 
menting on the Dreyfus case. He says : ''France believes that with the liberation of Drey- 
fus the affair was ended. It was an error. * * * Material interest — money — has once 
again been of more account than the highest human ideals. France wanted, first, to do more 
honor to her signature as a rich and commercial nation than as a free and just nation; and 
has put back to an uncertain date the payment of the false bill of exchange by which her 
staff deprived her of credit and honor. I am always more convinced that it would be better 
for my country to totally liquidate the affair before the exhibition." 

BRED TO BE A SOLDIER. 265 

Many good stories about General Lawton have come to the surface since his death. 
Major Strong, who was on the staff of General Mac Arthur in the Philippines, says Lawton 
confessed of being afraid once in his life. That was when he was riding with his 12-year- 
old son Manley past a cemetery in Manila. It seems that a Montana detail had just buried 
a comrade when a Caliornia burying detail came up. Somehow they failed to get cartridges 
and asked the Montanas for some. The latter had nothing but ball cartridges. "Oh, they'll 
do," said the California sergeant. "Ready, fire !" came the order a moment later. The bul- 
lets went whizzing over the grave and over the stone wall, on the other side of which was 
riding General Lawton, his head only a few inches below the wall. The bullets made a 
breeze as they went past. "That is the only time that I can remember of being scared," said- 
the general later, "but my boy spoke up and said: 'Papa, is this like being under real fire?' 
If it is, I like it.' " The boy was born to courage and to the soldier spirit, and it came not 
only by inheritance but from early training. If the Church of Jesus Christ would have 
brave soldiers whose moral courage shall stand every test they must recruit the army from 
children consecrated from infancy to the holy cause of the world's redemption. 

POWER OF RIDICULE. 266 

Senator Vest, of Missouri, relates how he was once making a speech to a small crowd in 
a country place in Kentucky. He stood on a stump in a little clearing, while his audience 
either sat or lay on the ground while he spoke. He thought he was making a very good 
speech and everything was going to his satisfaction, when, at the height of what he con- 
sidered a splendid flight of oratory a long, lean, lank, one-gallused, shrill-voiced backwoods- 
man rose from a lounging position about the middle of the group and said : "Go it, my 
wood-pecker!" Vest's hair was very red and he wore a blue suit. The audience caught 

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onto the apt description and he was knocked clear off the stump and adjourned the meeting. 
Ridicule is often a dangerous weapon, and the man who is safest from it is the one who by 
dress and manner is the most simple and straightforward. Any sort of affectation or pre- 
tense leaves a break in the armor for such shafts. 

THE BUDS OF LIFE. 267 

The lumbermen up in Wisconsin do not love the porcupine. It ruins hundreds of dol- 
lars worth of fine timber each year, and the sum it has cost the state in the aggregate is 
enormous. Its method of feeding is to select a tree to its liking, and systematically go 
through it from the topmost branch to the root, stripping it of buds and bark as it descends. 
The tree may get to be pretty tough after a while and there may be lots of more ten- 
der ones around, but the porcupine always makes a thorough job before deserting it for 
another. The tree subjected to this treatment always dies and there are places in the woods 
where acres of dead trunks standing about tell where the small but industrious beast has 
been at work. It is specially fond of the tender buds at the ends of the limbs. It will fre- 
quently cut off a limb simply to get to the bud on the end of it. There are many sins and 
vices in the community that thus make war on civilization by preying upon the young and 
the helpless. Every force of the church and state ought to be set peculiarly for the protec- 
tion of childhood, for in human life as in the forest, whatever destroys the buds will destroy 
the tree. 

THE ORCHESTRA OF TOIL. 268 

A recent writer comments on the wild, irregular, but delightful music that is made by 
the thousand wind instruments and the hundreds of tinkling and roaring bells which to- 
gether make up a great orchestra on a foggy morning in a city like New York. All day long 
the music of this vast and widely scattered orchestra echoes about the city, loud or low. 
Coming to the ears of men pent up in high sunless buildings the music seems to fill the room 
with sea-odors, and interposes between the workmen and his work visions of undulating 
gray water peopled with dim moving masses. As the ferry boat leaves her slip the orchestra 
is stirred to madness; little bells tinkle and great bells bomb; from out the impenetrable 
fog blanket come histerical notes of warning pitched in many keys. Great craft move slowly 
as if feeling their way through the fog with sensitive tentacles, with long, low, slightly 
tremulous hooting of bass, as if a bewildered giant warned common folk of his approach. 
Small craft emit more frequent and sharper cries. Now and again a stern challenge comes 
from the shallows of the bay, and a moment later there is a thickening in the near distance 
which soon grows to the dim crab-like shape of a ferry boat. And so on through the day 
on water and on land the great orchestra of human toil is ever changing the tune, but never 
ceasing its music. All human life is like that, and in the larger vision of nations with their 
tumult of wars and their diplomatic quarrels and their political changes, it is only an orches- 
tra on a grander scale. Christ is in the world to give the key to all this orchestra made up 
of cities and nations and races. Some day the music will be set to that key, and every man 
who surrenders his own heart to be the kingdom of God is helping to bring about that 
time. 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

DOES THE WORLD ADVANCE? 269 

The American manufacturer claims that such ideas as Wendell Phillips embodied in his 
lecture on "The Lost Arts" may be very poetic as a matter of sentiment, but are not true 
to the facts. It declares that the allegation that ancient Egyptians tempered copper and 
bronze to carry a razor edge is not borne out by investigation and that with examining hun- 
dreds of specimens alleged to have been tempered to the degree that steel is tempered, none 
have ever been found to stand the test. This paper asserts that the ancients were children 
in mechanical knowledge as compared with the people of to-day, and if there was a demand 
for any particular building or piece of work such as was produced by the ancients, it could 
be duplicated and improved on by the skilled artisans of the 19th century. This is probably 
true, and it is also just as true that the gray haired men and women of to-day who imagine 
that there has ever been a time in the world's history when men, as a whole, were more 
moral and upright and truthful than they are now, are just as far astray as the people who 
think the ancients were more scientific than the moderns. The world is not going back- 
ward but forward. 

A QUIET MAN'S COURAGE. 270 

A very good story is told in Washington about one of Senator Beveridge's friends who 
went to him and told him that whenever he had any political row to count on his support. 
The gentleman himself tells the story as follows: Senator Beveridge's face assumed the 
most bland and childlike expression when he replied in very gentle voice; "My dear boy, 
there is not going to be any row. I won't have any row with anybody. If anybody wants to 
have a row with me, I will run away from him; not only that, but I will run hard. But," 
added the senator, with a glitter of the eye, "if anybody catches up with me there will be 
trouble." The wise man will never force that sort of a man to a fight. The blusterer is 
seldom dangerous to anybody but himself, but the quiet man who loves peace has usually 
the courage of his convictions. 

RAPID HISTORY MAKING. 271 

History is made rapidly in these days. The world does not have time to talk over yes- 
terday's life as it once did. Only a little while ago the whole world was talking about Grant 
and Sherman and Sheridan and Lee and Porter and Farragut, but they all passed out of 
sight when Sampson and Dewey and Otis and Roosevelt and Lawton came on the stage. 
And now they are largely forgotten and those daily historians, the newspapers, are full of 
Roberts and Buller and Methuen and Oom Paul and Joubert, and Ladysmith has made the 
whole world forget Sdbastipol and Vicksburg and Santiago. There never was a time when 
the power to concentrate all one's force on to-day's opportunity counted for so much as it 
does now. In material as well as in spiritual things we are living in a time which puts 
emphasis upon the Scripture, "To-day is the day of salvation." 

OUR BROTHER WITH THE HOE. 272 

Some months since a gentleman whose name is not given offered $700.00 in prizes 
through the editor of the New York Sun for the three best poems in reply to Edwin Mark- 

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ham's famous poem entitled, "The Man With the Hoe." The prizes have recently been 
awarded. Mr. John Vance Cheney, of Chicago, received the first prize. Mr. Cheney changes 
the real theme to "Our Brother With the Hoe," and a very hopeful picture he gives of the 
strength and courage born of honest toil. The following verses give the essence of his 
ooem • 

Strength shall he have, the toiler, strength and grace. 

So fitted to his place 

No blot, no monster, no unsightly thing, 
The soil's long-lineaged king; 

His changeless realm, he knows it and commands; 
Erect enough he stands, 

Tall as his toil. Nor does he bow unblest; 
Labor he has, and rest. 

THE INCAPABLE. 273 

The second prize for a reply to Mr. Markham's poem has been given to Mr. Hamilton 
Schuyler, of Orange, New Jersey. Mr. Schuyler points out that the only man who is de- 
graded by his work is the man who does not go at it in the proper spirit, but who, through 
laziness, seeks to get through the world without work and thus becomes at last a vagabond 
and a tramp. The contrast which he paints between the honest workman who faces his toil 
with courage and good cheer, and the wandering idler is very sharp and clear: 

The ploughman whistles blythely as he goes 

And turns upon the world no coward face, 
In joy he reaps that which in hope he sows. 

Nor bows his head to aught but heaven's grace. 

The craftsman, too, rejoices in the thing 

To fashion which his cunning hand was taught; 

Of want he feels nor fears the bitter sting; 
In manhood's strength his destiny is wrought. 

But this one, — futile, hopeless, crushed to earth, 

A prey forever to forbodings grim. 
Well may he curse the day that gave him birth, 

And summon God and man to pity him. 

As to what brought the tramp to his pitiable condition Mr. Schuyler has no doubt, and 
plainly states it in the following verses : 

No sweat of manly efforts damps his brow. 

In workshop, field or mart he hath no place. 
To earn his daily bread he knows not how, 

Or scornful, counts the offered means — disgrace. 

Too proud to dig, yet not too proud to eat 

The bread of strangers to his face and name; 
•Homeless, he wanders with uncertain feet, 

Of thrift the scorn, of fate the idle gain. 

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FJSHERS OF MEN. 

THE SONG OF LABOR. 274 

The third prize in the competition for replies to "The Man With the Hoe," was won by 
a woman, Kate Masterson. She would set the toiler to a quickstep of marching music. To 
her mind the man with the hoe taken in his entirety is, after all, brave and courageous, hope- 
ful and joyous, and from the busy world of labor she catches a song which she interprets to 
us in a very inspiring poem. The first verse with its chorus gives an idea of her strong and 
vigorous lines, as well as the central thought of her song : 

From giant-forests, hewn, 

And golden fields of grain; 

From the furrowed hills and the belching mills 

With their fuel of hand and brain ; 

From the mountain's mine-dug depth 

To star paths made by men. 

Sounds one vast song that rolls along. 

And circles the world again : 

Work — Let the anvils clang ! 

Work — Let us sew the seam ! 

Let us bind the girth of the mighty earth 

With the music of our theme ! 

Sing as the wheels spin round, 

Laugh at the red spark's flight, 

And life will flash from the sledge's clash 

Till all the land is light ! 

JUDGED BY THE COMPANY IT KEEPS. 275 

A Kansas City newspaper says that a Northwest Missouri business man, who was hand- 
somely remembered in the way of holiday gifts, regards with special favor one that came 
to him by express from a friend in Tennessee. It was in the shape of a well-filled jug, to 
the handle of which was attached a note which read as follows: "The contents of this jug 
came out of the private barrel of a noted horse-thief, 'Rube Wright,' who lived in a cave 
some distance from Columbia." The newspaper goes on to state that the barrel was found 
some years ago by parties looking for phosphate. As the horse-thief in question died in 
prison thirty years ago, the whisky was known to be of good age. The liquor traffic and the 
strong drink it deals in may be judged by the company it keeps. There is not a crime on 
the calendar, nor a sin mentioned in the Bible that is not fed and nourished by strong 
drink. 

THE LESSON OF TRAGEDY. 276 

A New York paper, commenting on the destruction of a beautiful mansion in that city, 
in which a quarter of a million dollars worth of rare and beautiful articles were lost, and 
what was incomparably worse, human lives, declares that the incident calls for something 
more than regret and sympathy. It makes a practical — and it should prove an effective — 
appeal to prudence and to judgment. It lays emphasis on the crime against society in put- 
ting up firetraps for human dwelling places. When a man erects a house with wooden 

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beams and flooring, with partitions of wood and studs and laths, with wooden stairways, 
and with all that wood as dry as tinder, and fills it with combustible furniture and hang- 
ings; and when, finally, he carries into all parts of it a net work of electric wires which may 
get crossed or be poorly insulated, and a maze of gas pipes, which may leak, and an 
elaborate heating apparatus, which may get over-heated or have defective flues — why, what 
does he build but a fire-trap and a death-trap? But after all that is not such dangerous 
folly as the man shows who goes out into the midst of the world full of wickedness and 
sin, thrusting himself in the midst of temptations to do evil, with passions and appetites 
and lusts uncontrolled, unmastered, uncurbed by any divine hand. Every day men thrust 
themselves into the midst of temptations with souls ready to be "set on fire of hell," and 
then wonder how they could have been tempted to fall into the deadly sins which overtake 
them. 

THE DRUNKARD'S DOWNWARD COURSE. 277 

A Western writer has recently given a reminiscence of a speech which he once heard 
made by John B. Gough, and he gives an exceedingly interesting account of one of Gough's 
illustrations and its effect on the audienc^e. The great orator's speech at first was slow, ges- 
tures few, illustrations not many. The village topers were out in force, and some more 
decent men for whom women were praying to give over the habit of drink. He told some- 
thing of his own life, of the misery brought by drink. He was intense at all times, and this 
intensity bore down upon the listeners until he had made them one with himself. He made 
some slight comment on the condition of a drunkard's family — the want which came upon 
them, the loss of self respect. He described the degradation of spirit which rested upon the 
habitual drinker, and how if that spirit was not destroyed the mere signing of the pledge 
would not redeem. He pleaded for exercise of will power, more potent in effecting reform 
than all the drugs and medicines in the world. This was but developing the minds of his 
hearers for a climax. Suddenly he swung one arm high in the air and shouted: "A 
drunkard and his fall to the depths of everlasting hell is like the man who climbs to the 
top of St. Peter's in Rome. He is on the very summit of the great dome, the blue sky above 
and the world far, far beneath. He looks down from his perch, and having nothing to 
grasp, to hold to, grows dizzy. Everything is whirling now before him. His senses leave 
him. He is swooning. His feet slip. He is off the dome. He is in the air. He is falling — 
Down ! Down ! Down ! To the earth beneath and the ruin of himself. Thus descends the 
drunkard — Down! Down! Down! To the fires of hell and the ruin of his soul!" The 
whole exclamation was accompanied with such use of his right arm and his body as to 
bring the fearful descent immediately to the eye of the mind. A shudder ran over the 
audience and sobs of men and women were heard on every side. And yet not even Gough 
in his palmiest days was ever able to adequately describe the awful blackening and ruin 
which comes to the human soul through strong drink. 

THE POWER OF THE OCEAN. 278 

Few people looking on the ocean in its ordinary moods or sailing over it in a great 

steamship get any idea of its resistless power when aroused. The summit of Tillamook 

Rock on the Oregon coast is eighty feet above sea level. The focal plate of the tower light 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

in the light house tower placed on that rock is a hundred and thirty-six feet above sea level, 
yet the Pacific ocean, which is named the peaceful ocean, when in its angriest mood, oft- 
times dashes its waves against the plate glass enclosing the light and hurls gigantic rocks 
high above and drops them upon the home of the lighthouse keeper. On December 9, 1894, 
the storm was so great that the mountains of water leaped high above the tower. Great 
boulders were broken off from the sharp top of the rock and dashed a hundred feet above 
the main rock, coming down upon the building with fearful force. A boulder weighing a 
hundred and forty-six pounds thrown by the waves over two hundred feet above ordinary 
sea level, fell down, crashing through the roof and through the kitchen range. What a 
world of meaning there is in the figure used in the Bible when speaking of the majesty of God 
it is said that "He holds the waters in the hollow of his hands." 

LOVE OF COUNTRY. 279 

A singular fact is vouched for about both seals and sea-lions. It is said that they 
will always if possible climb up onto the rock where they were born to meet death at the 
same place. Keeper Peson, who was for eight years light house keeper at Tillamook Rock, 
on the Coast of Oregon, tells a pathetic story of a noble sea-lion, scarred and bloody and 
dying from some submarine conflict, who crawled up on his birth rock to die. To the 
light house keeper it was an indication of the love of native land, of home, of birth spot, 
that is so dear to the human heart. Patriotism and love of native land has been a great 
factor in the world's civilization. God implanted it in our hearts and it has ever been 
strongest in the breasts of the noblest men and women. 

DANGER OF THE GROUND SEA. " 280 

Inland visitors to the coast at certain seasons of the year are sorely puzzled when a 
boatman either refuses to put off from shore, or at most to go far from land, on a day 
'•'hen there is no sign of an approaching storm and the water is only moved by a long and 
gently rolling swell. Argument is of no avail, and if the old salt is pushed for a reason he 
will only reply with some remark about the "ground sea," the questioner retiring more be- 
wildered than before. It is hard to understand how such a gentle swell can presage danger, 
but to experienced eyes it gives a warning that must be heeded. All along the West and 
parts of the South coasts of England and Ireland, as well as the West coast of Scotland, 
uncounted tales are told of ships which on a perfectly calm day have been within a few 
hours, first caught by a gentle roll of water and finally thrown on a rockbound shore by the 
dreaded "Ground sea." It is the ground sea of worldliness that shipwrecks more voyagers 
for heaven than any storm the Christian sailor has to meet. The roll of the water seems so 
gentle that men are deceived by it, but ere long they are caught in its sweep and hurled on 
the rocks of sin, 

THE LEAVEN IN THE MEAL. 281 

A writer in Ainslie's magazine gives a very picturesque summary of South African con- 
ditions. To his eye there is a fringe of tropical country where bloom the magnolia and the 
rose, where flourish the orange, pine-apple, lemon, guavo, grape, banana, the cotton and the 

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tea plant; the long stretch of mountains running parallel with the Indian Ocean, the high- 
est peaks of which are capped with snow, and in whose valleys wave tracts of wheat and 
corn ; a vast prairie, dotted here and there with patches of scrub woodland, mission stations 
and immense farms, with millions of sheep and cattle grazing thereon ; a few thousand ham- 
lets scattered like oases over a great landscape, made black by the native Africans who live 
in thatched huts and wear but a breechclout; a dozen large towns where is heard the clang 
of the American trolley car and the clatter of the police patrol, and about which men cluster 
as flies gather to a jar of sweets; the remnants of a once mighty zoological garden, includ- 
ing many leopards, beautiful and live, baboons, antelope, jackals and crocodiles, a less num- 
ber of hippopotami and a few herds of buffalo, elephant and giraffes ; some iron ore, some 
coal, some copper and a little silver, forty miles of gold and a hundred acres of diamonds. 
That is South Africa, and after all one would not have to vary the description much if you 
made that the description of the world. It is a rough old world full of Ignorance and 
prejudice and sin, and Christ comes into it to leaven the meal and bring about after awhile 
a redeemed humanity that shall be sweet and wholesome. It is a brave undertaking, and 
courageous and noble souls are needed to carry forward His blessed work in His name and 
spirit. 

THE HOLY YEAR. 282 

The Century year is Holy Year in the Roman church. In Rome on the day before 
Christmas, 1899, the Pope inaugurated the Holy Year by performing the impressive cere- 
mony of opening the Holy Door of St. Peter's Cathedral. In the vestibule the Papal 
Throne was erected. The Supreme Pontiff ascended the throne, which was immediately 
surrounded by Cardinals and dignitaries. Suddenly a heavy bell boomed. The Pope rose 
and walked toward the Holy Door preceded by an official who met him and handed to him 
an artistic golden mallet. The Pope, wearing the mitre, uttered the verses of the liturgy 
and struck three blows with the hammer on tlfe door, which had been previously cut out 
with a saw. A few moments of solemn silence followed, the Pope and the Papal dignitaries 
in their state robes being grouped before the door. Then the door swung back and the 
officials of St. Peters laved the threshold and door post with Holy Water, while the Pope 
intoned the Psalm "Jubilate Deo," which was taken up by the Pontificial Choir. The Pope, 
having again covered his head and holding in his right hand a crucifix and in his left a 
lighted candle, knelt at the threshold amid the strains of "Te Deum." Rising he stepped 
alone within the portals of the vast and empty Cathedral. The Cardinals and others fol- 
lowed, and at this moment all the church bells in Rome rang out. The Holy Year had been 
entered. Thank God, any man or woman in the world, however humble or sinful they 
may be, may turn from their dark and unhappy past and enter a Holy Year by knocking at 
the door of mercy with repentance and faith. To all such Christ says, "Knock, and it shall 
be opened unto you." 

HONESTY THE BEST POLICY. 283 

The folly of dishonesty in business matters is very clearly set forth by Senator Chaun- 
cey M. Depew, one of America's most successful men, in a recent interview. Every young 
man in the land would do well to study this remarkably interesting and weighty paragraph. 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

Senator Depew says that he has seen many men become wealthy through dishonest methods, 
and his experience with them has taught him this : "That most men who gain wealth dis- 
honestly if they live long enough, get poor again." It is almost an invariable rule, and it is 
reasonable enough if you stop to figure it out. For it comes about in this way: A man 
employs dishonest methods and yet he becomes very wealthy. All his constituents know 
that his career is just a little bit shady as regards business methods, but he sails serenely 
along until a crucial moment arrives, a moment when "Money! Ready money! Cash at any 
price!'" is the cry of the maddened brokers. Then he finds his Waterloo. The credit 
which he might have obtained, the confidence of reliable, reputable firms which he might 
have commanded, are not forthcoming. His reputation for shady dealings, his ability to 
slip out of tight places, his deftness at evading technicalities of ordinary business methods, 
all cause the firms who would have otherwise come to his assistance to steer clear of such 
a trickster as he is known to have been — and he goes to the wall. Senator Depew further 
declares that the cynical oroverb, "Be good and you'll be happy, but you wont have a good 
time," may sound very smart and elicit rounds of applause, but it is a fallacy through and 
through. This distinguished man out of his vast experience has come to this final conclu- 
sion: "It is easier, much easier, for an honest man to become wealthy than for his dis- 
honest brother who may seem to prosper for a time; but, mark my words, it is only a tem- 
porary success." 

THE LIGHT CURE. 284 

The medical world is at present excited over the remarkable results obtained by a Dan- 
ish physician, by his system of treating bacterial skin diseases through the means of concen- 
trated chemical rays of light. This is the first instance in medicine where the use of light 
has been therapeutically employed as a recognized curative agency with completely satis- 
factory results. This cure suggests to us the spiritual cure about which John speaks when 
he says, "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with an- 
other, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 

PITY THAT COULD NOT SAVE. 285 

The unusual spectacle of a judge in tears was witnessed at Cardiff when Mr. Justice 
Bucknill pronounced a capital sentence for the first time in his judicial career. The sen- 
tence was on a woman, and the Judge, whose voice was very shaky from the first words of 
the sentence, entirely broke down at the end and burst into tears. The scene, especially af- 
ter the pathetic appeal of the prisoner for mercy for the sake of her children, was almost 
without parallel in the annals of trials. This is a striking illustration of the mercy of God, 
and the pity of God which yet cannot save except when the sinner pleads the sufferings of 
Jesus Christ in his behalf. Thoug'h God pity as a father or mother he can not be just and 
yet clear the guilty. The sinner's one chance is to accept the sacrifice of Jesus in his be- 
half. 

THE HEART SHIP. 286 

Mrs. Ella Wheeler Wilcox has a very beautiful poem in which she sets forth with 
great clearness that if. a man succeeds in all the great ambitions of his life and yet fails 

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in the realm of his affection it is a fatal failure. He may fail in other things, and if his 
hearth-stone be sweet, life is still a beautiful thing. But if he win everywhere else and his 
home affection be blighted, life is impoverished and bankrupt. I have repeated this poem, 
which is entitled "My Ships," in addresses in many parts of the country, and so many 
ministers have written me asking for copies of it that I will quote it here as a whole: 

If all the ships I have at sea 

Should come a-sailing home to me. 

Weighed down with gems and silks and gold— 

Ah, well! the harbor could not hold 

So many sails as there would be 

If all my ships came in from sea. 

If half my ships came home from sea. 
And brought their precious freight to me, 
Ah, well ! I would have wealth as great 
As any king who sits in state, 
So rich the treasures that would be 
In half my ships now out at sea. 

If just one ship I have at sea 

Should come a-sailing home to me, 

Ah, well ! the storm-clouds then might frown, 

For, if the others all went down, 

Still, rich and proud and glad I'd be 

If that one ship came home to me. 

If that one ship went down at sea. 

And all the others came to me, 

Weighed down with gems and wealth untold. 

With glory, honor, riches, gold. 

The poorest soul on earth I'd be 

If that one ship came not to me. 

O skies, be calm ! O winds, blow free, 

Blow all my ships safe home to me ! 

But if thou sendest some a-wrack, 

To never more come sailing back, 

Send any, all, that skim the sea, / 

But bring my love ship home to me! 

FOLLOWING OUT ORDERS. 287 

The London Spectator tells a story of India in which a subaltern was ordered to take 
a gun up to the top of an apparently inaccessible hill. After several ineffectual attempts, he 
returned to his superior officer and reported the feat to be impossible. "Impossible, sir," was 
the reply. "Impossible? Why, I've got the order for it in my pocket." The subaltern went 
back and succeeded. That kind of grit and fidelity to orders is what the church needs in car- 
rying out Christ's command, "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every crea- 
ture." 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

LONGING FOR IMMORTALITY. 288 

Mrs. Louise Chandler Moulton has a pretty little touch illustrating the difference be- 
tween the flowers and the birds in their losses, and the unceasing longing which is in human 
hearts for those "whom we have loved long since and lost awhile." With touching pathos 
she says: 

The birds come back to their last year's nest, 

And the wild rose nods in the lane; 
And gold in the East, and red in the West, 
The sun bestirs him again. 

Ah ! birds come back to their last year's nest, 

And the wild rose laughs in the lane; 
But I turn to the East and I turn to the West — 

"She never will come again." 

LAMPS FOR NIGHT MARCHES. 289 

An ingeniously constructed lamp has been accepted by the English war office authorities 
for use in the Transvaal, and a large number are being constructed for immediate dispatch to 
the front. The lamp will be used by the troops during night marches, and is designed with a 
view to keeping large bodies of men in touch with each other by means of red, green and 
white lights, which will be seen by those on the right and left and those in the rear, but no 
light will be shown in front. In addition to the small lamps carried by a certain percentage 
of the men, larger central lamps will be carried as guides to the entire force. Those large 
central lamps remind us of the pillar of fire by which God led the Israelites out of Egypt on 
their night marches. It was a pillar of fire to the people of God, but black as midnight to the 
Egyptians. The little individual lamps recall to us David's appreciation of God's Word where 
he says, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." 

THE FRIENDSHIP OF BOOKS. 290 

There is a pretty little note in Mrs. Louise Chandler Moulton's recent volume of poems, 
in which she suggests the satisfaction with which one worried with the strifes and cross-pur- 
poses of the world of living men and things goes into the library among the old worthies 
whose serene temper can never be disturbed. She sings : 

The living oft times vex us — 

The wise old dead are best — 
When Life's vain games perplex us 

'Tis here we turn for rest. 

A CAPTAIN'S COWARDICE. 291 

A sea captain as a rule stands by his ship and his passengers with such loyalty and cour- 
age that it is with a shock of astonishment we read of the cowardice of Captain Kalker, of the 
schooner Ruff, off the coast of Mexico. After the schooner had run aground the captain low- 
ered a dingy and abandoned his ship alone, refusing to burden himself with even a single 
companion. It is impossible not to feel that poetic justice was done when the captain, after 



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clinging to his swamped skiff for several hours was drowned. If he had stood by his ship 
he would have saved his life, for all on board were rescued. Every good cause is occasion- 
ally greatly hindered by the cowardice of leaders. If a cause be right it is always safe to do 
one's duty and trust God. The bravest course is always the safest. 

MAN HOPELESS WITHOUT CHRIST. 292 

One of the saddest little poems comes from Norway, written by Vilhelm Krag. It shows 
the utter hopelessness of mankind without the anchor to the soul which Christ gives in the 
promise of immortality. The song is of the frailty of life : 

It withers. It withers, 

It withers, it withers, — 

The world withers, and roses, and women, 

My body and all the quivering nerves 

Wither ! 
And Time, it goes creeping slowly past me, 
And the Hours walk by to dig my grave. 
I dare not think — 1 dare not live. 

Dare not die ! 

What a different song the Christian has to sing. Paul and Silas would never have shook 
a prison down with such hopeless, despairing melodies as that. Surely, "Our rock is not as 
their rock, our enemies themselves being judges." 

KNOWING ONE'S SELF. 293 

Israel Zangwill, the distinguished young Jewish author, is not yet thirty-five years old. 
His mother was born in Poland and his father in Russia, each coming to England in child- 
hood. They met and were married in London, where the elder Zangwill eked out a living 
by staining glass and doing other odd jobs. Israel was sent to the free parish school in the 
Ghetto which he has made famous. At the age of nine he wrote an essay and a little later at- 
tracted the attention of Lord Rothschild, who offered to send him to a university. The lad re- 
fused. "I knew," he said afterward, "that I would not fit in with such environments. I knew 
that I was to write and I wished to be free." So he fought his way along and climbed his 
ladder round by round. Nothing can stand in the way of the man who thus knows himself 
and who is willing to pay the price of achievement. Let every man study to know himself 
and then work his own field. 

PUT UP THY SWORD. 294 

James Jeffrey Roche sings in the Century a little song which voices the feeling a gicuv 
many people are having these days, in both the old and the new world, concerning the brutal 
and bloody side of war : 

I have sung of the soldier's glory 

As I never shall sing again ; 
I have gazed on the shambles gory, 

I have smelled of the slaughter-pen. 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

There is blood in the ink-well clotted, 

There are stains on the laurel-leaf 
And the pages of Fame are blotted 

With the tears of needless grief. 

THE TOWERS OF SILENCE. 295 

Julian Ralph, writing of India, says that when a Parsi dies his people leave the death 
chamber as if fear of the awful presence impelled them, and from that time on will have no 
more to do with the body. It is taken to the ground floor, where every Parsi must be born 
and every one must lie in death — in token of humility — and the friends and relatives kneel 
and pray outside the door of the chamber where it lies. Then it is turned over to the me- 
nials, who carry it to the Towers of Silence, where it becomes the property of the great fat- 
bodied vultures which sit around the circular top of each tower, as close together as they can 
press their hideous bodies upon the tower which may be in use. The largest of these towers 
is eighty feet in diameter and only twenty-five feet high. The grating on which the dead are 
delivered to the horrible birds slants downward toward the center and has a large circular 
openmg in the middle. The vultures work quickly. In two or three hours only the skeleton 
remains. Death is silence to all except to those who have hope in Him who went down into 
the grave and burst asunder its bonds and is alive for ever more. 

THE TEMPLE OF FAME. ^ 296 

An unknown singer in the Denver News has recently sung a very vigorous song entitled 
"The Temple of Fame," in which he traces the history of two young men. One of these is 
seeking simply for fame : 

"How far away is the Temple of Fame? ' 

Said a youth at the dawn of day; 
And he toiled and dreamed of a deathless name; 
But the hours went by and the evening came, 
That left him feeble, and old, and lame. 

To plod on his cheerless way. 

''"he other young man desired to do good and fulfill God's mission for Him: 

"How far away is the Temple of Good?" 

Said a youth at the dawn of day; 
And he strove, in a spirit of brotherhood. 
To help and succor, as best he could, 

The poor and unfortunate multitude 

And their hard and dreary way. 

He was careless alike of praise or blame; 

But after his work was done. 
An angel of glory from heaven came 
And wrote on high his immortal name, 
Proclaiming this truth, that the Temple of Fame 

And Temple of Good are one. 

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For this is the lesson that history 

Has taught since the world began : 
That those whose memories never die, 
Who shine like stars in our human sky, 
And brighter grow as the years roll by 

Are men who lived for Man. 

THE GRUNTING HABIT. 297 

A gentleman relates that one Sunday he was at church, and immediately behind him sat 
a woman with her young children, and during the sermon to which he was trying to listen in- 
tently, his thoughts were distracted by the woman behind him constantly grunting. Her chil- 
dren also grunted at anything that attracted their attention. Securing an opportunity on 
the way home he asked the elder of the youngsters why he grunted in that peculiar fashion. 
The boy replied, "Mummy grunts, so do I." Like mother, like child. This homely word 
'grunt" may be stretched to cover the complaining habit which runs riot in some families. 
A snarling father and a scolding mother must not be astonished if they raise a brood, the 
members of which retain the peculiarities of both parents. 

SACRIFICES FOR DUTY. 298 

Senator Beveridge, of Indiana, in his famous speech in the Senate giving the result of 
his explorations in the Philippines, speaks very eloquently of the sacrifices which have ever 
been at the base of our national success. He says: "As a nation every historic duty we 
have done, every achievement we have accomplished, has been by the sacrifice of our noblest 
sons. Every holy memory that glorifies the flag is of those heroes who have died that its on- 
ward march might not be stayed. It is the nation's dearest lives yielded for the flag that 
makes it dear to us; it is the nation's most precious blood poured out for it that makes it 
precious to us. That flag is woven of heroism and grief, of the bravery of men and women's 
tears, of righteousness and battle, of sacrifice and anguish, of triumphs and of glory. It is 
these which make our flag a holy thing. * * * j^ the cause of civilization, in the service 
of the republic anywhere on earth, Americans consider wounds the noblest decorations man 
can win and count the giving of their lives a glad and precious duty. Pray God that spirit 
never fails ! Pray God the time may never come when Mamman and the love of ease shall so 
debase our blood that we will fear to shed it for the flag and its imperial destiny." 

SATAN'S TOBOGGAN SLIDE. 299 

The spot in the Swiss Alps that attracts the winter sportsman is the Cresta Run, at St. 
Moritz, which is just one mile in length. The condition of the run is not left to chance, but 
the slide is carefully prepared. Though the Cresta Run is a mile in length the whole distance 
may be covered in seventy seconds. At the steepest point the rate of a mile a minute is made. 
The devil also has a toboggan slide which is also carefully prepared with Satanic malice. 
Woe to the man who uses it. 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

TOO HEAVY FOR SERVICE. 300 

The eldest son and heir of the rich Lord Rothschild greatly desired to enter the English 
military service and to go to South Africa with the Yeomanry recently called for, but he was 
rejected on account of his weight, which was considered too heavy for him to render good 
service. There are many Christians who are too heavy weighted with sluggishness and in- 
difference and worldliness to be of value in the army of the Lord. We need to heed Paul's 
injunction and "Lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us," if we 
would successfully run the Christian race and be of value in the service of our Lord. 

THE GOOD SIDE OF THE RUT. 301 

Two days after the battle of Glencoe the British soldiers were turned out for a rapid 
march to Ladysmith. They had hardly left the camp when the Boers started shelling it 
again. The whole brigade was about two miles long. They were marching all night until 
about five o'clock in the morning, then after three hours' rest, they were marched again until 
five o'clock in the afternoon. On again at night, then another rest. On again at six o'clock 
next morning until three o'clock in the afternoon. Forward again at six o'clock, marching 
all night. It was raining all this time. They were often marching through water up to 
their knees. They reached Ladysmith about eight o'clock one morning, very nearly dead. 
Many of the soldiers were walking while fast asleep. If a man fell out of line he dropped 
asleep immediately upon touching the ground. The power to march and sleep at the same 
time illustrates the good side of routine. It is so common for us to abuse the getting into 
ruts that it is well to remember that it has its good side as well as its bad side. Human life 
could not be carried on without the rut. Power of habit comes in on the side of good deeds 
as well as bad ones. It is possible to get so in the habit of doing one's duty, that one goes 
straight on doing it, asleep or awake. To such people, the doing right is natural ; and they 
do not even think of not doing it. Duty has become to them God's military drill, and they 
keep step automatically on the highway of holiness. 

LOVE, THE KEY TO THE HUMAN HEART. 302 

There is left alive only one of the Esquimaux brought down by Peary from the most 
northern tribe in the world. This is a little boy called Mene. On the day the little Esqui- 
mau's father died, Mene went to the Wallace house, near where he had lived, heart-broken. 
The Wallaces had a little boy named Willie, who had learned to talk by signs with the little 
stranger who did not know much English. "Mene 'tay here, Willie," he said, and the deso- 
late little savage could speak no more. "Do you want to stay here always?" asked kind Mrs. 
Wallace, and a nod was the only reply. "Don't you ever want to go back?" she asked. 
The boy shook his head. "Then you shall stay," she said. A radiance overspread the dirty, 
swarthy face, and a little later the two boys were seen issuing from the Esquimau cottage 
bound for the Wallace house, carrying with them all Mene's possessions. The little fellow 
has developed into a very interesting boy. He holds his own with the best scholars in the 
public school and is a very kind and generous-natured lad. Mrs. Wallace telling how she 
won his heart to herself, relates that one day when he was sick, he was lying on the sofa, 

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perfectly still and not seeming to notice anyone. Her own little boy came up to her and said, 
"Mamma, kiss Mene !" She went over and softly kissed him. The smile that lighted up 
his face was a perfect transformation. The poor little heart had been home-sick for love 
and from that hour he was a new boy. Love is the key to the human heart the world over. 
Doors that are closed against every other key will open to that. 

TAMING THE SPIRIT. 303 

They used to teach us at school that the zebra could not be broken to harness. But the 
school books were wrong. When Cecil Rhodes was in Berlin he told one of his German 
friends that he drove a four-in-hand composed of four zebras, in the Transvaal. On the 
steppes of southern Russia also, many zebras are raised and used for drawing carriages. 
Baron Walter Rothschild of London has a zebra four-in-hand, and says that the wild zebras 
may be broken to harness just as well as those born and raised in captivity. God has made 
all the creatures of the earth to serve their purpose, and man was given dominion over them. 
The time will come when we will know there are no untamable creatures in God's universe. 
The hardest thing in the world to tame when it has gone wild is the human spirit. We are 
told in the Gospels of a man whom Christ met at Gadara, who had an evil spirit and whom 
no man could tame. But Christ tamed him and made him a peaceful and useful member of 
society. He has not lost His power in taming the passions of the human heart. 

SYMPATHY. 304 

In the Zoological Garden at Paris a notable occurrence took place the other day. Pro- 
fessor A. Milne-Edwards, the eminent naturalist, witnessed it and made it the subject of an 
article which has just appeared in the French Scientific Journal. Two sun birds, popularly 
known as Japanese nightingales, though their home is in India and in China, were disturbed 
by a gray cardinal which got into their cage, and at once picked a quarrel. One of the sun 
birds lost almost all its feathers and was grievously wounded. The poor creature found itself 
crippled and unable to sit on the perch. Furthermore, its feathers being gone, it suffered 
greatly from cold. Marvellous now was the sympathy manifested by its companion. Every 
evening it gathered moss and hay with which it made a warm bed for the invalid. Every 
night it perched beside the sufferer on the cold floor, its wings being spread out to warm 
its companion as much as possible. For several nights it played the part of the Good Sa- 
maritan. All its efforts were unavailing and the wounded bird died. Thereupon the other 
literally grieved to death. God whose heart is full of sympathy has put it into all the crea- 
tures He has made, and most of all into Plis children, and there can be nothing more un- 
natural and inhuman than a man or a woman without sympathy. Sympathy is so divine a 
thing that we ought never to hold it back from expression when we feel its sacred throb. 

SEEKING LOST TREASURES. 305 

Some remarkable treasures have just been brought up by Greek divers from the bottom 
of the sea at the spot where the famous naval battle of Tscheschme took place a hundred and 
thirty years ago. The spot is in the Aegean sea off the island of Chios. Two famous Rus- 



FISHERS OF MEN, 

sian men-of-war and several Turkish vessels were sunk here July 5th, 1770. The first treas- 
ure the divers discovered at this point was a chest containing twelve thousand gold ducats. 
Soon afterward they found many other articles of great value, including an iron box with 
two thousand gold pieces of various denominations, many handsome copper vessels, a large 
and massive gold goblet, several costly pieces of silverware and a large number of fire-arms. 
The Turkish government has determined to make a thorough examination of the entire sea 
bottom covered during the fight, as it is known that there was a large quantity of bullion on 
board the Turkish vessels which went down. There is always a fascination about seeking 
lost treasures. The greatest field for that kind of work is in the human heart Every earn- 
est seeker there finds treasures more precious than gold bullion or ducats 

UNSENSITIVE HEARTS. 306 

The gold leaf trade uses a great many Bibles in an unusual way. The gold leaf is packed 
in books made of paper leaves cut from the Bible. There is no intention on the part of the 
dealers to be irreverent in thus using the pages of the Bible, but it has become a universal 
practice in the trade. Most of the gold leaf goes to shops where artists* materials are sold 
and it is packed between printed sheets because the slight indentations in the paper made by 
the printing serve to hold the delicate film of gold in place. The reason for using the Bible 
sheets is that the Bible is usually printed in small type and is always very evenly set, and 
the impression of the type on the paper is very slight, but quite enough to hold the gold leaf 
in place without injuring it. There are a good many people who use their Bibles in much 
the same way. It is a book of quotations or reference in a literary way, or in some other 
manner connected with business life ; and it makes no more impression on their hearts than 
it does on the gold leaf. To really get the message of salvation from the Bible one must come 
to it with a heart sensitive to its need of God and of divine help. 

GOD'S WORLD VS. MAN'S WORLD. 307 

Dr. George H. Hepworth, preaching in the New York Herald on the text, "Love work- 
eth no ill to his neighbor," declares that a world made by selfishness for purely selfish and 
greedy purposes does not in any way resemble a world made by brotherly love for the good 
of all. He calls attention to the sad fact that up to the present we are largely living in a 
world of selfishness, and that all around us old hearts are breaking and young hearts are 
aching. There are hungry mouths, frail bodies chilled by the winter cold, and eyes that are 
weeping in utter despair. There are men whom a word of kindly encouragement would save, 
and women who are forced by dire necessity to choose between death and bartering their 
honor for food and clothing. There are tragedies every day in the year in every town in 
the land which would make anyone who has a heart quiver with pitying sympathy. The cure 
for all this can only be found in flooding the world with brotherly affection. In that way we 
will drown out nearly every vice. The lowly will respect the high and the high will cheer 
the lowly. The hearthstone of poverty will blaze with good cheer, and the larder will never 
be wholly empty. They who struggle will find a helping hand when Christ comes to tell us- 
how best to live, and they who weep will hear the voice of a ready sympathy. 

^3^ 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

AN AMERICAN GENTLEMAN. 308 

Just now there is a good deal of discussion as to what kind of clothes an American Min- 
ister or Ambassador should wear in visiting the Courts of foreign governments. It revives 
the story of how the first envoy of the United States, Benjamin Franklin, the master printer, 
presented himself at the splendid Court of Louis XVI at Versailles. On this occasion the 
French King was wearing a coat embroidered with diamonds; the diamonds on coat alone 
were valued at two hundred thousand dollars. His courtiers were attired in the same luxu- 
rious fashion. Franklin appeared in his Sunday best, of brown homespun. The best men of 
the age honored him for his simplicity and manhood. We should say that the best dress 
for an American Ambassador, or President, is the quiet, every-day dress of an American 
gentleman. Our American institutions are built on the respect we pay to the individual man. 
Our whole theory of life is that "fine feathers do not make fine birds," and that manhood and 
American citizenship are on an equality with anything on earth. 

THE GROWTH OF COMFORT. 309 

The Bishop of London writing in the Cornhill Magazine sets forth very clearly the re- 
markable growth in the comfort of the people since the days of good Queen Bess. The 
average houses in London at that time were built without foundation, and were coli and 
damp. One of the first indications of greater comfort was a rapid increase in chimneys and 
the provision of fire-places. The rooms were low and ill-lighted, notwithstanding the fact 
that glass now replaced horn or lattice-work in the windows. An Italian traveler of that 
time exclaimed : "O, wretched windows, which cannot open by day, nor shut by night !" The 
floors were strewn with sand, or more generally with rushes. Unless these were frequently 
removed they became a harbor for dirt, especially in the dining-room where bones were 
thrown from the table to the dogs beneath. There was no regard for what we consider san- 
itary precautions, and it is no wonder that the plague in some form or other was epidemic. 
Sensitive persons were compelled to carry with them something fragrant which they might 
smell when they were too powerfully attacked by unpleasant odors. Working people of to- 
day may well comfort themselves with the fact that in spite of all the inequalities and injus- 
tices charged against the present industrial system, that the ordinary working man's family 
has more comfort than the King's palace of a hundred years ago and that every decade adds 
to that comfort. 

THE SOLDIERS OF PEACE. 310 

Mr. Jacob A. Riis calls attention to what Colonel Roosevelt said of his Rough Riders 
after the fight in the trenches before Santiago, that it is the test of men's nerve to have 
them roused up at three o'clock in the morning, hungry and cold, to fight an enemy at- 
tacking in the dark, and then have them all run the same way, forward; and declares that 
this Is true of the firemen as well, and, like the Rough Riders, they never fail when the 
test comes. The firemen go to the front at the tap of the bell no less surely to grapple with 
lurking death than the men who face Mauser bullets, but with none of the incidents of glo- 

IJ2 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

rious war, the flag, the hurrah, and all the things that fire a soldier's heart, to urge them on — 
clinging half naked with numb fingers to the ladders as best they can while trying to put on 
their stift and trozen garments. This is one of the sights that makes one proud of being a 
man. To see the firemen in action, dripping icicles from helmet and coat, high up on the 
ladder, perhaps incased in solid ice and frozen to the round, yet holding the stream as steady 
to its work as if the spray from the nozzle did not fall upon them in showers of stmging 
hail, is very apt to make a man devoutly thankful that it is not his lot to fight fires in win- 
ter. Only two years ago in New York City two pipe men had to be chopped from their lad- 
ders with axes, so thick was the armor of ice that had formed about and upon them while 
they worked. The public should lose no opportunity in showing appreciation of these heroic 
soldiers who fight to save life and not to destroy it. 

OLD MAXIMS REVERSED. 311 

Beatrice Hanscom writing in the Century Magazine calls attention to the danger of be- 
ing carried away by the military spirit of our time until we drift far from the landmarks of 
wisdom in our thinking. She says : 

We're reversing old maxims of late, 01 

We're getting exceedingly near it. 
To heroes in action we cater, 

And this is the way that you hear it : 
"He that taketh a city is greater 

Than he who just ruleth his spirit." 

THE LITTLE FOXES. Z12 

A recent medical writer assures us that whatever differences of opinion there may be 
upon the advisability of smoking for men, there is none as to its pernicious effect upon 
boys. It affects the action of the heart and reduces the capacity of the lungs. Young men 
who are being trained for athletics are not permitted to smoke by their trainers because, as 
they say, "It is bad for the wind." The argument that will appeal most forcibly to the 
average boy is that smoking will stunt his growth. It has been proved that youthful smokers 
are shorter and weigh less than their comrades who do not smoke. Cigarettes are particu- 
larly injurious. Nicotine, the active principle of tobacco, is said by chemists to be, next to 
prussic acid, the most rapidly fatal poison known. The tender tissues of a growing boy 
cannot absorb even a very small quantity of it without most injurious results. This is a case 
where it is very important to trap "the little foxes" that spoil the very best grapes of life. 

A MOTHER'S LONGING. 313 

There is something very tender and sweet in Theodosia Garrison's song of the longing 
of a mother's heart to meet the child lost out of her arms on earth, unchanged in the reunion 
of heaven. Under the title of "Her Mother" she writes these exquisite lines that throb with 
pathos : 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

I cannot think of her as one of His 

Exquisite angels, fair, and very wise 
In all the many ways of perfect bliss, 

Treading the flowered fields of Paradise. 

Nay, she is still the little child that knew 

No thing beyond my arm's warm tenderness, 
That spoke no word, my little child who drew 

My love by very strength of helplessness. 

Lord, when before the doorway of thy house, 

A timid, new-born soul, I, trembling, stand. 
Let her not come with glory on her brows, 

A fair, strong angel, bearing thy command; 

But let mine own, my child, look up at me 

With the same eyes that need me, crave me, and 
Draw me across thy threshold tenderly 

With her own hand — her little, tender hand. 

SEEING OURSELVES AS OTHERS SEE US. 314 

One of the fiercest and most determined fighters in the Civil War was General N. B. 
Forrest, commanding the Confederate Cavalry. His name was a redoubtable one, and few 
of hi.3 opponents were aware of a humorous side of his disposition, familiar to his friends. 
For many years the General loved to tell the story of an incident of the war. The few 
troopers he had with him were being hotly pursued by the Federals, and the General was 
galloping along at top speed. A fiery Southern woman happened to be standing by the road- 
side and when she saw the flying Confederate officer her indignation boiled over. Shaking 
her fist in scorn, she screamed : "Why don't you turn and fight, you cowardly rascal ? If old 
Forrest were here he'd make you fight !" Fortunately, the General's horse soon carried 
him out of range of this Southern battery. 

RELIGION AND DISCIPLINE AS FORCES. 315 

Theodore Roosevelt in his story of "Cromwell and his Men," in Scribner's Magazine, 
hrings out clearly the power of religion and discipline in building up strong character. 
Roosevelt says : "Cromwell suppressed all plundering with an iron hand. An eminently 
practical man, not in the least a theoretical democrat, but imbued with that essence of 
democracy which prompts a man to recognize his fellows for what they really are, with- 
out regard to creed or cast, it speedily became known that under him anyone would have a 
fair show according to his merits. He realized to the full that the quality of troops was of 
vastly more consequence than their numbers ; that only the best men can be made the best 
soldiers, and that these best men themselves will make but poor soldiers unless they have 
good training. His troops proved what iron discipline, joined to stern religious enthusiasm, 
could accomplish; just as later their immense superiority to the forces of the Scotch Coven- 
anters showed that religious and patriotic enthusiasm, by itself, is but a poor substitute for 

134- 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

training and discipline." This is a good message for the Christian church. The soldier of 
Jesus Christ must first be a good man, and afterwards trained and disciplined in doing the 
will of God. 

SOLDIERS WHO DIE TO SAVE. 316 

Helen Gray Cone sings in the Century Magazine a very pretty tribute to George E. War- 
ing, whose self-sacrificing devotion to duty in devising means to purify the city of Havana 
cost him his life. She says : 

Brave was that earliest song of our English race, 

Of the Dragon-Slayer, who died by the dragon's breath ; 

Glad of his clear deeds done, he laughed in the eyes of Death. 

Facing the Stony Face. 

Brave by the blue North sea! Nor thou less brave. 

Thou Fever-Slayer, yet slain by the breath abhorred; 

Spirit that forthright flashed, like the straight-blade Saxon sword; 

Soldier who died to save ! 

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. 317 

Mr. Glenn, the superintendent of public instruction in Georgia, recently explained the 
nature of the X-Ray to a gathering of colored children. After the meeting was over a 
colored youth called him aside and wanted to know if he was in earnest about the machine. 
Mr. Glenn assured him that he was. "Boss, I wants ter ax you ef er nigger et chicken kin 
you look in him an' see chicken?" "Why, yes, Ephraim," said Mr. Glenn, "Well, boss, I 
wants ter ax yer one mo' question. Kin you look in dat nigger an' tell whar dat chicken 
come from?" This amusing story goes straight to the point of the importance of a feeling 
of personal responsibility to God. It makes us know that there is One, and that One he in 
whose hand our breath of life is, who knows all about our conduct from the beginning of 
the thought to the conclusion of the deed. 

MERCIES UP TO DATE. 318 

On Tuesday, January 2nd last, by fire and sledge hammer, all the dies bearing date from 
which were made United States coins in 1899 were destroyed. This was done to prevent their 
falling into the hands of counterfeiters. At the same time the new dies for 1900 were 
brought into use. In the engraving department of the Philadelphia mint all the dies that 
are used in the country are made, and during December every year new dies are made and 
sent to all the other mints. While the old dies are undergoing destruction the mints of the 
country start upon making gold, silver, nickel and copper coin from the gold eagle down 
to the copper cent, all bearing the impression of the new year's die. God's mercies are like 
that, for we are assured that "the Lord's mercies * * * are new every morning.' 

APPRECIATION. 319 

Senator Chauncey Depew in an eloquent tribute to the memory of Vice-President Ho- 
bart delivered in the United States Senate, illustrated in a significant way a fact that is 
sometimes forgotten, that no man ever reaches a position of such great wealth or power, 

^35 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

but what the natural longing for appreciation by his fellows continues in him, provided his 
nature is normal and wholesome. Mr. Depew says: "In mid ocean, on one of the great 
steam ships some years ago, a gentlemen extended his hand and said : *I am Garret A. Ho- 
bart, of New Jersey. I know you and want you to know me.' Afterward, in the confidences 
of fellow passengers on the sea, he said : *The value of success is not so much in the things 
it enables you to do as the consideration it gives you in the minds of others. I have been 
successful, and I want that understood and appreciated.' In this incident came out the 
character of the man; the freshness, the frankness, the unspoiled joy of the boy, as happy 
over the things which gave pleasure and importance to his friends as he felt sure they would 
be over his own advancement." 

CEREMONY IN THE PLACE OF CHARACTER. 320 

A private soldier writing home from the Philippines gives a very interesting commentary 
on the character of the work of the Roman Catholic church during Spanish rule in that 
country. He says : "If my descriptive powers had been cultivated I could write pages re- 
garding this island, as it abounds with most interesting details. How I wish you could 
walk into some of the cathedrals here, all from two hundred to three hundred years old, 
moss covered and showing their age on all sides ! At a recent function the figure of Mary 
was covered with diamonds valued at two million dollars. The following week a squad of 
guard searched the church, and in the vestment room found a hidden hole containing seven- 
ty-five rifles, ammunition, etc., and a large tin full of unset diamonds. The diamonds were 
given back to the priest." In the condition of things in the Philippines one may see a very 
strikiiv iliu.<;tration of the result of putting form and ceremony above character in matters of 
religion. Pictures of the saints covered with diamonds may be very impressive, but spiritual 
graces, such as hope, and faith, and love, and gentleness, and meekness, and patience, and 
purity incarnated in human lives are infinitely more valuable and more in harmony with 
God's purpose among men. 

THE JOY OF LIBERTY. 321 

Charles Neufeld, who was a prisoner in chains in Ondurman for twelve years and who 
was set at liberty by Lord Kitchener's wonderful victory over the Khalifa, writes an ex- 
ceedingly interesting account of his experiences, in the "Wide World Magazine." His pic- 
ture of his delight at the sight of the English shells flying over the prison and telling of 
promised liberation from captivity is full of pathos. He leaped to his feet and rushed as 
fast as his shackles allowed, stumbling to the middle of the open space of his prison pen, 
where he tried to dance and jump, calling on all to come and join him. He shouted that 
his "brothers" had got his messages. His brothers would spare all their lives for him. He 
danced, he laughed, he cried, he sung, he kissed his hands in welcome to those terrible 
messengers of death which were screeching and yelling overhead. He actually threw open 
his arms and leaped up to embrace a monster shell which a second later was to gather in 
death seventy-two men. And yet all that seems natural enough to us, because every hurtling 
shell made freedom seem nearer. Strange, is it not, that men who value liberty so much, 

i3(> 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

will hug their chains of evil habit that are even more terrible than the shackles worn by 
Neufeld in the prison at Ondurman. It is because sin blinds men's eyes; when they see 
clearly, they welcome the coming of spiritual deliverance with joy and delight. 

BROTHERLY SYMPATHY. 322 

Neufeld, the Ondurman prisoner rescued by Kitchener, says that when the city had fallen, 
the jailor came in nearly frightened out of his life, and told him that a big, tall man 
had asked for him and that he was to come at once. It seemed an age while the chain was 
being slipped from his shackles, and then, led by the jailor, he made his way to the gate of 
the prison. He was crying, dry-eyed. He could see a blurred group, and then he was startled 
out of his senses by hearing English spoken — the only words of the European language he 
had heard for seven long years. From that blurred group and through the gloom, came a 
deep, strong voice, "Are you Neufeld? Are you well?" Then a tall figure stepped toward 
him and gave his hand a hearty shake. It was the Sirdar, now Lord Kitchener. Looking 
down at his shackles, the Sirdar asked, "Can these be taken off now?" Then he heard the 
last order he was to receive and obey in prison, "Neufeld, out you go !" It was the Sirdar's 
order, and, half carried by the friendly and strong arm supporting him, he obeyed. The 
next thing he remembered was a British officer slipping off his horse, lifting him into the 
saddle, and trudging along at his side after the terribly trying and arduous day he must 
have had. In this way the prisoner was taken to the "Headquarters Mess." We have in that 
an illustration of how the Lord Jesus comes to set free the prisoners of sin who appeal to 
Him. Neufeld had been sending his letters of appeal, whenever he had a chance, to the Eng- 
lish officers, so that they knew about him long before they came. Christ will come to the 
sinner on receipt of the first earnest, penitent message, and will take him out from his 
prison house and receive him with great tenderness into His own fellowship. 

GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE. z^Z 

There is a wonderful story in one of the current magazines which sets forth in a queer 
light the hardships which men will undergo in order to acquire gold. It tells the story of a 
man, who, in connection with some friends, had made some rich discoveries of paying dirt in 
northern Alaska. Leing out hunting one day with one companion he got into a fight with a 
bear and had his leg fearfully crushed by the animal's teeth and jaws. His friends carried 
him to the sea coas and then leaving their claims, took him a nineteen days' journey to the 
nearest doctor. All his time his leg was without any intelligent dressing and had to be em- 
putated at once to ave his life. He got well, however, and went back to Alaska with his 
wooden leg and su ceeded in bringing back with him enough gold to make him comfortable 
for life. Two yea; ; later he sent the doctor, who was a surgeon in the United States Navy, 
a souvenir of theii irst meeting. It was one of his bear's teeth handsomely mounted in some 
of the gold whicl had cost him his leg. How rich men might be if they would give them- 
selves over to se ^rch for the gold that Christ tells us about that is "tried in the fire," with 
the same devotic ■ and self-sacrifice that they do in their search for the "gold that perishes." 

^37 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

SELF-RESPECT. 324 

Sincere sel respect is one of the chief characteristics of a noble character. Its power to 
control the st' jngest passions of men is very remarkable. In the records of the Franco- 
German war ' lere is to be found a touching incident illustrating this fact. When the Prus- 
sians occupie ' the town of Amiens in 1870, their wounded were placed in the town hospitals, 
and there tl y were left at the mercy of the frenzied French populace. The mayor of the 
town, an h' aorable man, was charged with the safe keeping of the wounded, but there was 
no armed yrce at his disposal. He was, however, a man of resource and over the hospital 
doors he 1 /rote the inscription : "For the honor of Amiens respect the wounded." His de- 
vice prov 1 a better safe-guard than a cordon of armed men. 

MULTIPLYING BY SHARING. 325 

A n< vsboy was working his way through a crowded car, offering his papers in every 
direction m a way that showed him well used to the business and of a temperament not 
easily daunted. The train started while he was making change and the conductor, passing 
him, laughed. "Caught this time, Joe !" he said. "You'll have to run to 14th street." "Don't 
care," laughed Joe, in return. "I can sell all the way back again." A white-haired old 
gentleman seemed interested in the boy, and questioned him concerning his way of living 
and his earnings. There was a younger brother to be supported, it seemed. "Jimmy" was 
lame, and "couldn't earn much hisself." "Ah, I see ! That makes it hard — you could do bet- 
ter alone." The shabby little figure was erect in a moment, and the denial was prompt and 
somewhat indignant. "No, I couldn't ! Jim's somebody to go home to — he's lots of help. 
What would be the good of havin' luck if nobody was glad, or of gittin' things if there was 
nobody to divide with?" "14th St.!" called the conductor, and as the newsboy plunged into 
the gathering dusk the old gentleman remarked, to nobody in particular : "I've heard many 
a poorer sermon than that." 

PEACE THAT CASTS OUT FEAR. 2,26 

A novel remedy for insomnia is to try to picture another person asleep. It is claimed 
that the more clearly the other person's sleep is pictured the stronger becomes the subjec- 
tive feeling of drowsiness. Give up trying to sleep. Nine times out of ten the blessing 
striven for in vain will come unsought, and that almost immediately, so that in looking 
back the next morning the last thing you remember will be your determination to lie awake. 
Directly you cease to strive for sleep — to wish ardently for it — the strain will be taken off 
the brain, the body will rest, because the mind is no longer preventing it, and sleep will be 
the happy result. In the wider search for happiness and peace it is well to learn the same 
lesson. Peace does not come to the people who are straining after it, but to those who seek 
to do their duty and fulfill God's will, and then trust the results entirely to Him. To such 
souls only can come the peace of God that "casteth out fear." 

^38 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

DEVELOPING INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY. 327 

From Washington it is announced that the Indian Department will try to establish a 
permanent "outing" system throughout the entire Indian service. This is the placing of 
Indian students in the best white families during vacation. Major Pratt, of the Carlisle 
Indian Institute, inaugurated this movement some three or four years ago and it has proved 
so successful that it is to be tried on a larger scale. The Department officials argue that 
while the boarding schools are excellent training schools for the Indian, he needs at times 
to be cut off from the sweep of school life and put upon his own solitary resources. They 
say he will not find in life a community of possessions and must learn to think and work for 
himself. He should do this during the period of education, and be made to trust solely in 
individual effort. The "outing" system tends to develop the Indian in what is akin to 
the best in family life. In the well-ordered American home he sees a wise adjustment of 
the personal life to the needs of the family and of the family life to the needs of the com- 
munity; that a weakness in one place is felt in all places, and so "individual responsibility" 
grows to have large meaning to him. For white children as well as Indian it is exceedingly 
important that the developing of individual responsibility should never be lost sight of by 
the parent or the teacher. If it is overlooded, weaklings are produced that make sad havoc 
with the serious questions of social and political life. 

NATURE'S RESOURCES. 328 

There seems to be no limit to the resources of Nature. In Alexandria, Indiana, there is 
now a factory engaged in the business of making wool out of limestone. A chemist has dis- 
covered a process by which limestone blocks go in on one side of a strange looking furnace 
and come out at the other side a white wool-like substance. The product has hardly passed 
beyond the experimental stage, but it has been exhibited before the government experts and 
given general approval. All that can now be made is being shipped to the Philippines, 
where it will be used as a non-conductor in the store-houses for American troops. The cli- 
mate in the Philippines is such that the government has experienced great difficulty in keep- 
ing stores from spoiling, and the experts believe that this wool will solve the problem. Ex- 
periments are being made with the hope of lengthening the nap so that it can be woven. If 
this could be achieved the cloth would have many advantages over any now on the market. 
As underclothing it would be soft, would confine the heat to the body, and being impervious 
to the blasts of winter it would be a capital raiment for Klondikers. When it had to be 
washed it could be himg in the flames of the fire to dry. Nature's resources arc infinite be- 
cause the God whose creation they are is Infinite. The man who puts his trust in God and 
who comes into personal communion with Him has an impregnable position. 

GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES. 329 

Out in a certain section of Kansas a dozen women set their hearts upon a church build- 
ing. There had recently been organized a church in the community and they found it im- 
possible to raise money enough to buy the material necessary for such a house of worship as 
they desired, and at the same time pay for the building. Finally, the women determined to 

^39 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

do the work themselves. Donning old clothes, they repaired to the site, staked off the 
ground and began excavating for the foundation. They dug away for two days without male 
help, but when they went to resume work on the third morning they found the place alive 
with men who had been shamed into helping them out. So the women set to work and 
served them a dinner. In the meantime the work on the church goes ahead with alacrity. 
People who try to answer their own prayers to the best of their ability will always find help 
coming in when the end of their own strength is reached. 

A DEVIL ENGINE. z^o 

After killing over a dozen human beings, numerous cattle, and being in twenty wrecks, 
an old engine is now standing in Logansport, Indiana, awaiting the time when the order 
shall be given to consign it to the scrap pile. This engine has had a bad history. Twice it 
ran away, once without an engineer and again with a man standing powerless with his hand 
on the throttle. Of course nobody believes that the engine is itself at fault. It has been 
simply the creature of the men who made it and have controlled it; but it suggests the 
course of some men in this world. If you look back over the story of their lives you will 
find they have been like the story of that "Devil Engine," in that all along the way they have 
been causing wrecks and disaster to multitudes of people. They have broken away from 
control or run wild to the danger of their fellowmen. But no man can lay the blame for 
this upon others, for the power of choice is in every man's heart, and Christ the "Chief 
Engineer" is ready to give His wisdom and loving care to insure the complete renovation 
and repair of every human engine that will submit itself to His hand. 

VALUE OF A NAME. 331 

Senator Chauncey M. Depew says that a farmer came into his law office in Peekskill, 
New York, the first day he opened it, when he was fresh from his admission to the bar. 
The farmer asked him a question in regard to the settlement of an estate. Depew looked it 
up and when the farmer came back the next week he gave him a written opinion, for which 
he charged him five dollars. The farmer said that he would never succeed if his fees were 
so exorbitant, and he gave him one dollar and seventy-five cents. That was his beginning. 
Twenty years afterward a gentleman came to Depew' s office in New York and asked him the 
same question. He answered it immediately and it was exactly the same answer he had 
given the old farmer. The interview occupied about an hour, and his client gave him five 
hundred dollars. This illustrates that in the legal profession, as everywhere else, a good 
name is the most valuable of resources. 

IMMEDIATE PLEASURE VS. PERMANENT SUCCESS. zz2 

One of the most successful business men in the United States being recently asked the 
path a young man must take in order to achieve success, said he must make cast iron rules 
at the start, to practice self-denial, regularity and temperance, a love for work, a rigid regard 
for the minutest detail of business, and, above all, choose the loss of every dollar rather than 
perform a single act of dishonesty. This successful man declares that failure is most fre- 

140 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

qtiently caused by falling by the wayside. Young men become victims of immediate pleasure 
rather than long and courageous struggle to permanent success. The devil catches more men 
and women at that point perhaps than at any other. Men take the present pleasure, and the 
result is permanent despair; when by denying themselves for the present, they might enter 
into permanent peace. The people who mount up "with wings as eagles," in Isaiah's vision, 
£.re those who "wait upon the Lord." 

A CITY NEIGHBORHOOD. 333 

There is a sensation in New York City in business circles over the plans which are be- 
ing made to connect new structures which are being built with the underground stations of 
New York's new underground railroad system which is soon to be an accomplished fact. 
Alany heads of the large dry-goods houses, office and business structures along the route arc 
consulting architects with a view to such private connections with underground stations. 
Merchants favorably located say it will add much to their profits in stormy weather be- 
cause fair customers up town will be able to alight practically inside the store without ven- 
turing above ground. For those living in up-town apartment structures connected by pri- 
vate passages, a tour of the shopping district and down-town office buildings will be pos- 
sible without a moment's exposure to outside elements. One can easily imagine to what a 
vast extent such a system may run in the way of adding possible comfort to city life. Thus 
it is that modern civilization is steadily working toward the great ideal of Christianity when 
all the world will be one neighborhood in brotherly fellowship. 

POISONOUS FUMES. 334 

Explorers in New Zealand and the surrounding islands have discovered a lake of sul- 
phuric acid, in the center of Sulphur Island off New Zealand. It is described as being fifty 
acres in extent, about twelve feet in depth and fifteen feet above the level of the sea. The 
most remarkable characteristic of this Lake is that the water contains vast quantities of 
hydrochloric and sulphuric acids, hissing and bubbling at a temperature of no degrees. 
Dense clouds of sulphuric fumes constantly roll off this boiling caldron, and care has to be 
exercised in approaching this lake to avoid the risk of suffocation. There are some men and 
women like that lake. They have so given over their thoughts and imaginations to sin and 
wicked passion that the spirit of their conversation and life is full of deadly poison ; and yet 
Jesus Christ is able to cleanse and purify a heart as wicked as that and make the influence of 
it sweet and wholesome. 

WEAKNESS OF THE STRONG. 335 

It is said that Lord Roberts, commander of two hundred thousand British soldiers in 
South Africa, possessor of the Victoria Cross and all sorts of medals, is almost paralyzed 
with fear at the sight of a cat. No cat has been admitted at the Roberts house for years. 
During one of the actions outside Cabul, when bullets and gunshot were freely falling around 
the General and his staff, he was, as usual, coolly indifferent, but all at once he was seen to 
tremble and pale with fright. The hero of a hundred battles pointed helplesslj over his 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

shoulder to a neighboring wagon, and the staff saw a half-starved black cat perched on top 
of it. His strange fear of the cat was so great as to completely distract General Roberts' 
attention from the field of battle, and it was not until a subaltern drove the animal away that 
the English General was able to bring his thoughts back to the conflict. The soldiers of 
Christ who are battling against the forces of evil should never forget that even the strongest 
men and women usually have some weak spot in their armor which needs to be peculiarly 
guarded against attack. Paul was wise when he said concerning our life race that we should 
take care against "the sin which doth so easily beset us." 

A STATIONARY CIVILIZATION. 336 

Most interesting is the fact in connection with the vast collection of plants and flowers 
taken from ancient Egyptian tombs by a Frenchman known as Mariette Bey, that exactly 
similar plants are still to be found growing in the valley of the Nile. The closest examination 
fails to reveal the slightest difference between the plants that flourished fifty centuries ago 
and those which the traveler sees to-day; exactly such flowers as the boy Moses and the 
children of Joseph picked still bloom unchanged, even in color. There are to be seen in Bey's 
collection blue sprays of larkspur which loving hands laid upon the bodies of those who died 
a thousand years before Abraham and Sarah went down into Egypt. It is interesting to note 
in connection with this that except where English influence has touched it human life is as 
unchanged in Egypt as are the varieties of flowers. The same thing is true in China. The 
reason for all this is that the religion of these people has not awakened them to intellectual 
progress. The Christian religion is the religion of advancement. It touches the brain of 
mankind as if with a magic wand. It awakens invention ; it inspires hope ; it fills the soul 
with dreams of conquest. Christ's words meant more than any narrow interpretation put 
upon them when He said to His disciples, "Ye are the light of the world." 

THE WISDOM OF LITTLE CREATURES. 337 

Every one remembers the famous anecdote of Robert Bruce and the Spider, which en- 
couraged him to renew his patriotic efforts when he was hiding discouraged in a hut. Others 
will remember how David was saved from the pursuit of Saul by the spider that spun its web 
over the mouth of the cave in which he was hiding and misled his pursuers into the idea that 
he could not possibly be in the cave. But the latest discoveries of an American scientist, Dr. 
Cunningham, may suggest to military men that the habits of the spider are instructive as to 
tactics. Seated at the center of operations, he feels the slightest touch at any part of his 
domain by the wonderful telegraph line built by himself. His method of providing a line of 
defence, avenues of escape, and his constant oversight of his territory inspires the careful 
observer with hearty respect for the skill and cleverness of the wonderful insect. How can 
any man study such a little creature and imagine that it came by chance, and that behind such 
a creation there was no wise planning. Surely the Psalmist was right when he said that it 
was "the fool" that "hath said in his heart there is no God." 

142 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

A PARIS TExMPERANCE RESTAURANT. 338 

An interesting outcome of the recent Anti-Alcoholic Congress in Paris has been the 
establishment of a temperance restaurant in that city— the first of its kind. The primary 
intention was to influence the working classes. Although the experiment has been bitterly 
fought by the neighboring "wine merchants," it has been a success from the very start. Tea, 
coffee, chocolate and non-alcoholic beverages are rapidly taking the place among the cus- 
tomers of this restaurant of the hitherto almost universally used wine and beer. These tem- 
perance experiments in France are very significant and will be watched with great interest in 
this country. 

THE SON OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. 339 

An American clergyman writing some years since on the English language as his theme, 
penned these very beautiful and suggestive lines : 

It kindles realms so far apart 

That, while its praise you sing, 
These may be clad with Autumn's fruits 

And those with flowers of Spring. 
It quickens lands whose meteor lights 

Flame in an Arctic sky, 
And lands for which the Southern Cross 

Hang its orbed fires on high. 

While these beautiful lines may be well applied to the English language, how aptly they 
might be applied to Christ as the Sun of Righteousness shining upon all lands and all peoples 
without any intervening night. 

CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY. 340 

The Boston Transcript is responsible for the statement that Monasteries to house the 
Brotherhood of the La Trappe are to be erected in Massachusetts in the towns of Millis and 
Medway. Seven hundred acres of land have been purchased and the Brotherhood are to 
begin it in April, 1900. This is one of the most austere of all the Orders in the Catholic 
church. At midnight the day begins and all the Brotherhood go to chapel. Sleep follows 
until four o'clock, when they again go to chapel. Without taking breakfast they toil in the 
fields until ten o'clock, when they partake of vegetable soup and porridge, and continue work- 
ing until noon, when chapel is sought. Until vespers farming is continued, and after the 
service the hearty meal of the day, consisting of coarse bread and vegetables, is in order. 
Devotional reading and meditation follow this repast. During the entire day not a word is 
exchanged in conversation. The only exception to this is on Christmas when there is a re-- 
laxation of this rule, and after mass they all enjoy the privilege of talking to the utmost. 
Strange is it not that there should still be people on the earth to imagine that being miserable 
is any sign of godliness? And how grateful every happy Christian should be for the privilege 
of a practical Christmas every day in the year. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

GLADSTONE AND HIS QUEEN. 341 

A recent writer in Chambers's Journal relates that when Mr. Gladstone was leader of 
the House he had to write frequent letters to the Queen giving his impressions as to public 
business. These letters he often -wrote while sitting on the Treasury bench after the dinner 
hour, and they sometimes appeared to tax even his mental resources. He wrote them in a 
small and not very legible hand, and their composition occupied a considerable time. Some- 
times he would pause for a few minutes before finishing a half-'written letter, and in no duty 
did he seem to take such care, and keen observers often remarked that he could more easily 
deliver a long speech than write a letter to Her Majesty. If Gladstone were so careful in 
what he should write to his Queen, how much more should we be thoughtful and careful in 
bringing our hearts and thoughts into the proper frame of mind and spirit to breathe out our 
petitions to the King of Kings. 

ONLY ONE QUEEN. 342 

A beekeeper, expert in knowledge of bees and their habits, says there can be but one 
queen to a colony, and as soon as the first queen is born she will go around to the other queen 
cells, rip them open and kill the about-to-be-born queens just as fast as she can. It is thus 
that she disposes of all possible rivals. Her course meets with the entire approval of the 
other bees ; in fact, if two queens happen to be born at the same time, the bees bring them 
together at once and make them fight until one or the other is dead. Two queens would be 
worse than none at all. If the queens are disposed to tolerate one another and will not fight 
when brought together, the other bees will force them to it, and they are obliged to combat 
for supremacy. Surely a man ought to be as wise as a bee, and whenever he is he knows that 
Christ's word is true, that "no man can serve two masters." 

THE BEST WITHIN REACH OF ALL. 343 

At a gathering of florists during a convention of the Society of American Florists held in 
Philadelphia some fifteen years ago, the advocate of the orchid presented the claims of his 
flower with great enthusiasm, and ventured the prediction that orchids and orchid flowers 
would in time become the flowers for the millions. That his prediction in a great measure 
has been realized the florists' windows of to-day attest, although the prices these flowers 
command are still sufficiently high to limit their use to the well-to-do class. In the spiritual 
realm the rarest blooms are within the possibilities of the very poorest. Observation and 
history prove that the homes of the poor are as likely places as the mansions of the rich for 
the production of those spiritual graces which are the most fragrant and beautiful attractions 
of human life. 

THE HURRICANE TREE. 344 

In Nassau, the capital city of the Bahama Islands, they say "the tree in the public square" — 
not the trees. Now, the public square of Nassau is quite as large as that of most cities of the 
size, but there is only one tree in it, and that tree literally fills the square and spreads its 
shade over all the public buildings in the neighborhood. For it is the largest tree in the 

144. 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

world at its base, although it is hardly taller than a three-story house. It is variously known 
as ceiba, or a silk cotton tree, but the people of the low islands of the West Indies call it t^e 
Hurricane tree. For no matter how hard the wind blows it cannot disturb the mighty, 
buttressed trunk of the ceiba. In the hurricane of last year all the palms and many of the 
other trees of Nassau were overturned, but the great Hurricane tree, although it lost all its 
leaves, did not lose so much as a branch. Its trunk throws out great curving, wing-like 
braces, some of them twenty feet wide and nearly as high. These extend into the ground 
on all sides and brace the tree against all attacks, while the great branches spread a thick shade 
overhead. In the tropic sunshine at midsummer, hundreds, even thousands, of people may 
gather in the cool of its shadow. The sincere Christian who runs ail roots of his affection 
and purpose down into the soil of God's will, shall be a hurricane tree, able to defy all the 
storms of life. No other life can be so impregnable to attack as the one that is buttressed 
about with the promises of God. 

TURNING A PEST INTO A BLESSING. 345 

For many years the Australians have been trying to get rid of the rabbits which have 
overrun that country. To-day, however, the Australians appear to be a little more resigned 
under the infliction. The idea occurred to them, awhile ago, that they might utilize the 
animal on a large scale as a commercial commodity. So they set to work to kill rabbits by 
the thousands, can the meat and send it to Europe in cold storage. Australian canned rabbit 
sells at a cheap price in the British markets and is beginning to be largely consumed by thr x 
who cannot afford very often to indulge in beef. The largest consignment of rabbit tb-^s 
far, was shipped from Melbourne on a steamer which carried fifteen thousand cases of ca-'S 
containing three hundred and sixty thousand rabbits. Australia has found a new industry a*'d 
it is already prophesied that it will not be very long before the rabbit will come to be regard 1 
as one of the great resources of the continent. There is suggested in this turn in affair* i 
rule of universal application, and that is, that it is always wise to endeavor to find how 'o 
turn one's difficulties to advantage. He is a wise man who can make his enemies serve him. 
Many a seeming pest has been turned into a blessing when met with courage. 

CLAIMING BOTH EARTH AND SKY. 346 

We are compelled to live in this world, but it is our privilege to have communion with 
heaven. Jacob's ladder had its foot on the ground beside him, but it reached up to the sky. 
Ninette Lowater sings a little song of tribute to a great tree in lines which might also describe 
the privilege of a good man, or a noble woman to claim both earth and sky as their heritage. 
She sings : 

Deep in the earth its great roots spread, 

But heaven's own blue surrounds its head. 

It holds the joy of Summer morn, 
The strength of Winter's wildest born. 

God's birds find shelter in its arms, 
Secure from everything that harms. 

It bows when south winds wander past, 
But breasts unharmed the fiercest blast. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 
UNSELFISHNESS OF THE BATTLEFIELD. 347 

The brightest side of war is revealed in the high qualities of manhood which often come 
cut among plain and simple men under hard circumstances. Mr. Frederick Treves, con- 
sulting surgeon to the London hospital, who was present at the battle of Colenso, in South 
Africa, writing to the British Medical Journal, says there was evidence on all sides that the 
men behaved splendidly on the field, and that when brought back wounded they were almost 
universally plucky, patient and uncomplaining. Their unselfishness was many times very 
marked. On one occasion an orderly was bringing some water to a wounded man lying on 
the ground near where the Doctor was working. He was shot through the body and could 
hardly speak owing to the dryness of his mouth, but he said, "Take it to my friend first; he 
is worse hit than I." This generous lad died next morning, but his friend recovered 

DANGER OF THE PROFESSIONAL SPIRIT. 348 

A minister was traveling in northern California, accompanied by his wife and his little 
daughter four years old. Two little boys, the sons of commercial travelers, were talking to 
the little girl about their respective papas and what they did. One little lad said : "My papa 
sells shoes," and the other said: "Mine sells paper, and," turning to the little girl, "what 
does your papa sell?" For a moment the child hesitated, but, not to be outdone by boys, 
she replied with the air of a duchess, "My papa sells talk." Religious workers, whether in 
the pulpit or not, need ever to be on their guard against falling into the professional spirit 
where the little girl's description becomes the true one, and the worker sells so much talk 
for so much money. The messenger of God must be inspired with a consciousness of high 
calling and the assurance of the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Christian worker must be 
supported, of course, by his work, but his work must not degenerate into a mere matter of 
barter and trade. 

THE CHRISTIAN'S PROFESSION. 349 

Dr. Hepworth says he was long puzzled by what Paul meant by the phrase "All things 
are yours," until one Summer evening sitting under a tree by a country roadside a Christian 
workingman solved it for him. This man said in substance: "I am one of the richest men 
in the world, my wealth is so abundant that I cannot possibly make full use of it. Look at 
that broad landscape stretching for many a mile to the horizon ; there are those who think 
the land belongs to them because they have deeds in the registrar's office, but they are mis- 
taken, for it is mine as well as theirs. And see the stars coming out in their rich splendor 
one by one as the daylight fades. They also are mine ; they shine on me and for me. Look 
at my wife and children, He has given them to me that I may have a home on earth which 
will tell me something about the home above. Christ is mine, and his religion is mine. The 
New Testament was written for me, and it is a possession of which no man can rob me. Yes, 
and best of all, heaven is mine when life has no more for me to do." The best part of it all 
is that these glorious riches are within the reach of every man and woman in the world. 

146 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

FRUIT IN OLD AGE. 350 

The South African war, calling for so many workers on the part of the Red Cross 
Society and arousing so many earnest women to action in behalf of the wounded soldiers, has 
recalled Florence Nightingale and the wonderful pioneer work she did on the battle fields 
in the Crimea. She is now a very old woman, being more than eighty years of age, and has 
been confined to her bed for a long time; but old and feeble as she is, she takes a great 
interest in the living world, and when the war broke out in the Transvaal the British gov- 
ernment sent to her bedside to make inquiries of her and ask her advice concerning nursing, 
and propped up in her bed with pillows she prepared her answers. In spite of her weakness, 
Florence Nightingale fulfills the Psalmist's promise that the righteous like the palm-tree 
"shall bear fruit in old age." 

PERSONAL MAGNETISM. 351 

Dr. Hillis, pastor of Plymouth church, Brooklyn, speaking recently on the power of per- 
sonal magnetism, says: This invisible radiation was strikingly manifested in Napoleon. 
Seeking an explanation of his control over his marshals we find it in the statement that the 
grip of his hand was like unto a powerful electric shock. In lesser degree Robert Burns 
cast the same spell upon his companions. When the poet made his tour through Scotland 
the mere announcement that he had arrived at some inn, perhaps at the midnight hour, was 
sufficient to call together all the people within a radius of several miles, assembled to see and 
hear one whose glorious eyes, whose honeyed words, whose thrilling speech, filled men with 
transports of delight. But the magnetic influence of a man is recognized even by the lower 
world. The tamer of lions controls the beast at first by the red hot iron. Later the trainer 
uses his eyes to keep the brute at bay. This is what Llorace Bushnell meant when he said of 
a friend, "His eyes blazed and blazed until they seemed to me like a double-barreled revolver 
loaded to the muzzle." Once Thomas Starr King spent his summer on the Rocky Moun- 
tains. There he heard of a mountaineer who, with his little boy, one morning started down 
the canyon and met a hungry bear with her cubs. Putting the child behind him the brave 
man stooped and, fixing his eyes, he looked straight into the eyes of the beast. And as he 
advanced, the brute, snarling and growling, retreated and, ever retreating, at length fled. In 
this case it was literally true that the eyes were full of bayonets, weapons of offense and 
defense. 

TRUE GREATNESS. 352 

One of the very best replies which has been made to Edwin Markham's poem, "The Man 
With the Hoe," is one which appears from the pen of a writer who does not give his name, 
in the Boston Pilot. The closing lines, telling of the true greatness of a human soul whicfe 
knows God and is true to duty, contain real poetic insight and inspiration. He sings : 

O, ye who would be masters in all lands, 

Lay down your fretting pomp and panoply, 

To learn true greatness. Noblest he who thinks 

]\lost nobly. If the peasant, simple soul. 

Is harbor for the tides, that nature heaves, 

^47 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

Of deep love-crested thoughts of God, what counts 
The channelled running of your studied phrase 
Though spoken learnedly in gifted tongues? 
Whirlwinds blow not from whited harvest field 
But from the lair, where reason's untrimmed light 
Dies down to passion's smouldering ash-kept fire. 
Ah ! toiler with the hoe, if like thy mate 
And countryman, at chime of Angelus 
Thy heart lifts up from labor-field its praise 
Thou art true poet, peasant though thy garb. 
Uncouth thy contour — for thy conscious soul 
Translates the hymn of nature for thy God. 

THE SEARCH FOR PEACE. 353 

A wise writer has recently said a very earnest and illuminating thing about the uni- 
versal search for peace. He says we all look for peace, but look in the place where it is not. 
It is not to be found at all unless you find it in your own soul. The stars are not the same 
to the brutish and the spiritual man. Each looks through his own nature and sees what is 
without colored by what is within. The beauties of the world are to some men what a 
sonata of Beethoven would be to a deaf man. The world is always beautiful, but only the 
beautiful soul can see its beauty. To ill nature, to a crabbed, complaining person, the spring 
landscape is only an irritation, while to a childlike nature it is a gorgeous temple to worship 
in, with music and preacher. 

DANGEROUS SERPENTS. 354 

There is said to be in an interior town in New York a young woman with a live snake 
in her stomach. It has been growing there for several years and if her life is to be saved the 
creature must be soon taken away by a surgical operation. This seems a terrible thing 
and yet after all it is not so horrible as the serpents that get into men's hearts, and strike 
down with their poison fangs every good and holy purpose of life. When we hear envious, 
or malicious, or impure conversation coming from the lips of a person, we may be sure that 
it is only the poison from the fangs of the serpent which has made its home in the heart. 

THE LONGING OF THE "BLACK SHEEP." 355 

We would take heart many times when we are discouraged in our efforts to win men to 
Christ, if we could only know of the utter lack of satisfaction which worldly men and women 
find in their lives, and the bitter longing for something better which is often experienced by 
those who seem to us the most indifferent and reckless of sinners. Richard Burton, in 
"Lyrics of Brotherhood," has some verses on "The Black Sheep" which illustrate this 
thought in a very striking way. He sings : 

Maybe, in spite of their tameless days 

Of outcast liberty. 
They're sick at heart for the homely ways 

Where their gathered brothers be. 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

And oft at night, when the flames fall dark 

And the hills loom large and dim, 
For the Shepherd's voice they mutely harp, 

And their souls go out to Him. 

Meanwhile, "Black Sheep !" "Black Sheep !" we cry, 

Safe in the inner fold; 
And maybe they hear and wonder why. 

And marvel, out in the cold. 

THE UNITING POWER OF A COMMON SYMPATHY. 356 

The Transvaal war, which has been the cause of Queen Victoria visiting Ireland, prom- 
ises to bring about a better state of feeling between England and Ireland than has ever been 
known. Early in the war many Irish politicians, both in this country and at home, were 
full of venom and hatred against England. They were adopting resolutions of sympathy 
with the Boers, offering prayers for Boer success, and exulting in every British defeat and 
loss. But with Irish regiments winning the honors of the war and commanding the admira- 
tion of the world, and with Irish commanders — Roberts, Kitchener, French, Kelly-Kenney, 
White, and the rest, leading them to victory after victory, there is small room for railing 
at home against the empire which these heroes are serving. It was only a few years ago 
that an Irish soldier was sent to the guard-house for wearing a bit of shamrock on St. Pat- 
rick's day. This year the queen commanded that in the future all members of her Irish 
regiments shall wear shamrock on that day. All England went wild on St. Patrick's day to 
follow the queen in doing honor to Ireland. All this is in obedience to a great law as wide 
as humanity. Nothing brings people together so quick as fellowship in a struggle against a 
common foe and the winning side by side of a victory which does honor to both 

A HALF-HEARTED SERVICE. 357 

An amusing story has recently been told of President Kruger, of the Transvaal Republic. 
It seems that a few years ago he presented, on behalf of the state, a piece of land amounting 
to an erf for the building of a Dutch Reformed church. Soon afterward he was approached 
by an influential Jew, who tendered a similar request on behalf of a Jewish congregation. 
The president promised to consider the request, and soon afterwards announced that he had 
granted it. A little while later, however, he was waited on by his Jewish friend, who com- 
plained that the piece of land they had received was only half the size of that given for the 
Dutch Reformed church. "Well," retorted Kruger, "what fault have you to find? They be- 
lieve the whole Bible, so they get an erf; you only believe half the Bible, and you get half an 
erf." Howerver one may agree or disagree with Kruger, it is undoubtedly true that in 
order to get the full rewards of a Christian life we must throw ourselves into the service of 
God with a whole-hearted devotion. 

THE SOFT ANSWER. 358 

Solomon's proverb, "A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grevious words stir up 
anger," is illustrated in ordinary life every day. A story comes from Maine of a lawyer who 

i4g 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

faouprht a farm where there had been a lawsuit going on for many years with a neighbor about 
the boundary line. The lawyer went to see the obstinate neighbor at once and he found 
the man ready for a fight. The lawyer mildly inquired, "What's your claim here, anyway, 
as to this fence?" 'T insist," replied the neighbor, "That your fence is over on my land two 
feet at one end and one foot at least at the other." "Well," replied the lawyer, "you go ahead 
just as quick as you can and set your fence over. At the end where you say that I encroach 
on you two feet set the fence on my land four feet. At the other end push it on my land two 
feet." "But," persisted the astonished neighbor, "that's twice what I claim." "I don't care 
about that," said the genial lawyer. "There's been fight enough over this land. I want you 
to take enough so you are perfectly satisfied, and then we can get along pleasantly. Go 
ahead and help yourself." The old farmer paused abashed. He had been ready to com- 
mence the old struggle tooth and nail, but this move of the new neighbor stunned him. Yet 
he wasn't to be outdone in generosity. After looking at the lawyer a moment; he said, 
" 'Squire, that fence ain't going to be moved an inch. I don't want the land. There wasn't 
nuthin' in the fight, anyway, but the principle of the thing." 

A DEAD MAN AT THE THROTTLE. 359 

Bumping and swaying over a puzzle of switches and sharp curves, an express train 
came into one of the Chicago depots recently with the pulseless hand of one of the road's 
veteran engineers grasping the throttle. He sat bent over the throttle and the reversing 
lever, his eyes closed and his face drawn with the last pang of the pain that caused his death. 
Suddenly the fireman saw that something was the matter. "Why, Joe, what's up?" asked 
the fireman. "Not sick, are you?" With a touch of his hand the fireman found that his 
companion on many a midnight run over the prairies of Illinois had breathed his last, a vic- 
tim of heart disease. At the same moment the fireman caught sight of the red danger signal 
not a thousand yards away. He lifted the engineer to one side and then shut off steam. In 
a second the sand and the sudden jerk of the reversing lever was preventing the heavy 
coaches behind with their human freight from being crashed into a train pulling out of a 
side track. Nothing could be more dangerous than a dead man at the throttle. And yet 
how often do we see men in church life who are spiritually dead thrust into leadership be- 
cause of financial or political reasons. Many a flourishing church has been wrecked because 
a hand thus spiritually dead was put at the throttle. 

THE GULF STREAM. 360 

One of the most important rivers in the world is the one known as "The Gulf Stream," 
a. river of warm sea water that flows through the ocean with a steady, and resistless, and 
benevolent tide. It owes its existence primarily to the revolution of the earth upon its axis, 
and its outflow through the tortuous channel connecting the Gulf of Florida with the 
North Atlantic is more constant and steady in direction than any tide in the world. It 
flows forth at the rate of a hundred miles a day, so strong that it will carry a ship in the 
face of the mightiest gale. After it reaches the Atlantic it spreads out until compared with it 
the Amazon is only a gurgling brook. It rolls northward, warming the atmosphere for 

^50 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

human life, and then swinging away from New Foundland across the ocean, it gives green- 
ness to Ireland, and balmy climate to England. Christianity is well illustrated by the Gulf 
Stream. Its influence through all the ages has been that of a warm current of divine love 
rolling onward through the cold ocean of human selfishness, melting all icebergs in its 
track and bringing ever and ever a balmier spiritual clim.ate to the world. 

THE POWER OF ENCOURAGEMENT. 361 

An English army officer recently said that the commanding officer who has studied 
human nature will occasionally make a brilliant hit when he gives a man what is called a 
"chance." And he relates this incident: One day a colonel went out for a walk and met a 
m.an of his regiment who was only too well known to him on account of his frequent ap- 
pearance in the orderly room. The colonel stopped him and said: "You're a fine man, six 
feet in height, and yet don't you think that you are making a precious ass of yourself with 
thirty-six drunks in your defaulter sheet? Suppose, now, that I were to put a Lance corpor- 
al's stripe on your arm to-morrow; how would it be?" The man was so surprised and de- 
lighted that he took the total abstinence pledge and never drank any more intoxicating 
liquors. Four years afterwards he married and the colonel attended the marriage feast. 
The bridegroom took his commanding officer aside and said to him, as he pointed to the 
different kinds of liquor that were on the table : "You see all that, sir. Well, I have not 
tasted a drop, even to-day, and won't, for if I did I must get drunk." Hope and encourage- 
ment had greater power over this man, as it has over men generally than the fear of pun- 
ishment. This must have been what the apostle meant when he said, speaking of the hope 
which Christ inspired, "He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself." 

THE SPEED OF ARCTURUS. 362 

Professor Simon Newcomb, the astronomer, remarks that on a summer evening you may 
see Arcturus high up in the south or southwest in June or July, and further down in the 
west in August or September, You will know it by its red color. That star has been 
flying straight ahead ever since astronomers began to observe it as such a speed that it 
would run from New York to Chicago in a small fraction of a minute. You would have to 
be spry to rise from your chair, put on your hat and overcoat and gloves and go out on the 
street while it was crossing the Atlantic ocean from New York to Liverpool. And yet if 
you should watch that star all your life, and live as long as Methuselah, you would not be 
able to see that it moved at all. The journey that it would make in a thousand years would 
be as nothing alongside its distance. And yet the God who watches over these great spaces, 
and who hurls planets and worlds and stars forth from His hand with as speed like that of 
A^rcturus, is the God who is our Father and who has said that if w^e pray unto Him with 
loving, childlike hearts He will hearken so readily that even while we speak He will 
answer. 

TENDERNESS OF HEART. 2>^z 

Last summer a woman who lives in Harlem, N. Y.. went to the country for a month's 
holiday. Before leaving she gave her pet canary, Dick, into the hands of the woman in the 

^5^ 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

next flat to care for until her return. Dick sorely missed his mistress the next day, and, 
after a tender little song, hushed his voice and would sing no more. He ate very little and 
began to droop visibly. As the days went by he became simply a miserable little bunch of 
bones and yellow feathers. One morning the woman who had charge of him found him on 
his back, dead, in the bottom of his gilded cage. He had died of grief at the loss of his 
mistress. A hundred instances might be cited of animals who have died of grief at being 
separated from those they love. If hearts are so tender in the animal realm below man, 
how much more important that we should not sin against them among human beings. Chil- 
dren are often dwarfed and stunted and not unfrequently lose their lives through heart- 
break. 

THE SOUL'S DIVINE INHERITANCE. 364 

Ella Wheeler Wilcox in a recent poem entitled "The Soul's Divine Inheritance," sings 
a strong and vital truth which needs to be often repeated in our times, asserting what the 
Bible teaches that it is possible for us to be, through God's grace and help, not a creature of 
circumstance, but the arbiter of our own destiny. She sings sturdily: 

There is no thing we cannot overcome. 

Say not thy evil instinct is inherited, 

Or that some trait inborn makes thy whole life forlorn, 

And calls down punishment that is not merited. 

Back of thy parents and grandparents lies 

The Great Eternal Will, that, too, is thine 

Inheritance — strong, beautiful, Divine ; 

Sure lever of success for one who tries. 

Pry up thy fault with this great lever — Will. 

However deeply bedded in propensity, 

However firmly set, I tell thee, firmer yet 

Is that vast power that comes from Truth's immensity. 

Thou art a part of that strange world, I say; 

Its forces lie within thee, stronger far 

Than all thy mortal sins and frailties are. 

Believe thyself Divine, and watch and pray. 

There is no noble height thou can'st not climb; 
All triumphs may be thine in time's futurity. 
If, whatso'er thy fault, thou dost not faint or halt. 
But lean upon the staff of God's security. 
Earth has no claim the soul can not contest. 
Know thy part of the supernal source, 
And naught can stand before thy spirit's force. 
The soul's Divine inheritance is best. 

THE WEIGHT OF PRECEDENT. 365 

There is a story reported as having been told by Colonel Fred M. Dow, of Portland, 
Maine, which shows well how customary usages "broadens down from precedent to prece- 
dent." Colonel Dow once visited friends at Quebec, and while seeing the sights of the city 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

and its surroundings he took a public carriage to visit the Falls of Montmorency. At a 
half-way house on the road the driver pulled up his horse and remarked, "The carriage 
always stops here." "For what purpose?" asked the colonel. "For the passengers to treat," 
was the reply. "But none of us drink, and we do not intend to treat." The driver had dis- 
mounted and was waiting by the roadside. Drawing himself up to his full height, he said, 
impressively, "I have driven this carriage now more than thirty years, and this has hap- 
pened but once before. Some time ago I had for a fare a crank from Portland, Maine, by 
the name of Neal Dow, who said he wouldn't drink; and what was more to the point, he 
said he wouldn't pay for anybody else to drink." The son found himself occupying the same 
ground as that on which his father had stood. On both the side of the driver and his pas- 
senger the power of precedent was illustrated. 

SEIZING AN OPPORTUNITY. 366 

A western railroad conductor tells the story which may be either truth or fiction, and 
yet it is not without value as an illustration. He says that on one occasion the wind blew a 
passenger off his train in the far West. "But I didn't know it until three years after the 
occurrence," he continued. "He was ticketed for Southern California, and several times 
during the day he asked me questions. Soon after his last question I missed him from his 
seat. Later in the day he was still missing, but his overcoat was on the back of his seat. 
The train was searched for him but he could not be found. The railroad company became 
interested in the case and hunted for the man. Three years later he was found. His story 
was that he had stepped out on the platform to get fresh air. The wind was blowing a gale, 
and before he could get a purchase it swept him from the car. He stopped in a farmhouse 
nearby, where he found a great bargain in farm lands and purchased. He settled down 
there and did not continue his western trip." Young men may well learn a lesson from the 
readiness with which that passenger lighted on his feet. An opportunity must be seized at 
once. I think it was Carlyle who said, "An occasion must be seized by the foretop, she has 
no back hair." Many a young man might heed that message with great results for his 
future happiness and usefulness. 

RAIN FLOWERS. 2,67 

"The most magnificent floral effect I ever saw in my life," said a gentleman not long 
ago, who had been a wide traveler, "was in Texas. They have a flower there called the 
'Rain Flower.' It usually blooms three or four hours after a rain. I was passing through 
the country and the thing that struck me in that particular locality was the utter barrenness 
of the whole landscape. There was a piece of land of ten acres or more that was covered 
with low, black vines that were decidedly uninviting. Four hours later, after a heavy thun- 
der shower, I passed this piece of land, and it was absolutely covered with what seemed to 
be the prettiest flowers I had ever seen. It was one enormous bouquet, and the fragrance 
from it was almost intoxicating. I could scarcely believe the evidences of my own eyes, but 
there it was, what seemed to be an unsightly waste transformed as if by magic into a bower 
of bloom." The secret of it was that the roots, and plants, and vines were all ready, and 

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when the shower fell upon them the buds that had been waiting burst into blossom. It 
needed only the shower added to the warmth of the atmosphere to set them free. We ought 
to see in this the importance of having the right kind of meditation, and the true sort of 
purposes formed in our imagination and heart chambers. What we brood about comes to be 
like those vines, waiting for just the right sort of intellectual or moral shower to bring out 
into conversation and deeds the things we have only dreamed of in our secret thoughts. Be 
careful what awaits the shower of circumstances. 

GOLD FROM SINAI. 368 

A traveler in Syria says that the shaft still exists, as well as the ruins of the furnaces, 
crucibles, huts of the miners and fragments of the tools which mark the ancient copper mines 
of Mt. Sinai. These are the most ancient copper mines known. They were worked from 
about five thousand years before Christ until about twelve hundred years before Christ. 
But it was real gold that Moses brought from Sinai when he carried down from there the 
Commandments of the Decalogue which serve as the' foundation stones for all the great 
legal and governmental structures of the world. The old copper mines have been long 
abandoned on account of the poverty of the ore, but the commandments given to Moses on 
that historic mountain will never be outgrown by humanity. The ore from that mine is as 
rich and abundant in blessings to the world as ever. 

NEW AND OLD. 369 

Dr. Hillis, pastor of Plymouth church, Brooklyn, tells a story showing the unsettling 
effects of the "Higher Criticism" from a new standpoint, which is very amusing. It fell ta 
his lot to attend the funeral of a negro, sharing the service with a colored minister. As the 
two clergymen were riding to the cemetery the brother in black suddenly asked Dr. Hillis 
how he got along at his church with the higher criticism. Dr. Hillis replied that it was not 
a disturbing element at Plymouth. "Well," said his companion, "it's making things pretty 
hot at our church. One of my deacons, who is down on it, comes to prayer meeting and 
prays, *0, Lord, bless our pastor and help him to bring old treasures out of the Word,' while 
another deacon, who believes in it, follows him and prays, *0, Lord, bless our pastor and help 
him to bring new treasures out of the Word' ; and betwixt those two deacons and the Lord 
they keep me black and blue." Dr. Hillis naively adds that he supposed the deacons kept 
the negro blue, while the Lord kept him black. But seriously the little story has an inter- 
esting suggestion. There are old treasures which we must all bring out of God's truth, but 
every earnest student of the Bible must find there new treasures which no one else could ever 
have found. So that not only every minister but every Christian may find treasures old and 
new in that Divine storehouse. 

LACK OF AGGRESSIVENESS. 370 

The severe storms of last spring along the Jersey coast were in one way a bonanza to the 
shore clam-eaters. The great sea aroused by the long and continued heavy gales tumbled 
out upon the beach enormous quantities of the big sea clams. Not for years had there been 

154- 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

such a harvest of this variety of sea food. Farmers by the score from far back in the 
country came and carried them away in wagon loads. Torn from their beds far out from the 
shore the big shell fish were caught up by the big incoming rollers and pitched and tossed 
hither and thither in the surf until thousands of them were left high and dry upon the sand. 
Nothing is more helpless than a clam thus tossed up from his native element. He is the 
prey to every vagrant hand, or if left within six inches of the water would die there before 
saving himself. The lethargy of some men and women who have been torn from their ac- 
customed conditions of life by imexpected and sudden trials is very much like this. Children 
and youths should be awakened and inspired to live aggressive, positive lives. We are not 
simply to suffer at the mercy of the waves of life, but we are to battle for the right, and to 
grow strong through struggle against opposing circumstances. 

CLEANLINESS AND HEALTH. 371 

Up to the time when the United States took control there, Cuba was a continual hotbed 
of yellow fever. Santiago was its home, Havana its export town. This year there has been 
practically no yellow fever in Cuba. General Wood not only prevented its outbreak in San- 
tiago until he left there for a brief visit to the United States, but when it broke out in his 
absence he hurried back and exterminated it. Havana is to-day almost as healthy a city 
as New York, and under General Wood's administration it promises to become even a 
healthier one. This is our best gift to Cuba. It is also the best results to Americans of our 
deliverance of that island. For there is not the slightest doubt that every yellow fever epi- 
demic that has scourged this country has come directly from Cuba, and with Cuba clean and 
healthy we shall be freed once for all of that danger. This relation between cleanliness and 
health is no closer in physical life than it is in morals. If we are to have pure, noble men 
and women, then we must have books and newspapers and public teachers generally that 
are clean and wholesome. 

PROMPTNESS. 372 

The late Dr. Thomas K. Beecher, of Elmira, N. Y., had a taste for mechanics. He 
could make a watch, and so great was his delight in that work that he once asked the Elmira 
authorities to make him custodian of the town clock, to which they consented. He took 
great pride in keeping that town clock exactly right, and when the timepiece happened to 
get a few seconds wrong he would put up a sign on the door of the tower reading like this : 
"This clock is two second late to-day, but it will be all right to-morrow." A great waste is 
made by many of us through failing to be on time and to do everything at the proper time. 

COMING IN TOUCH WITH PEOPLE. 373 

Bishop Whipple says that when he first went West to preach he was exceedingly anx- 
ious to reach artisans and railway operatives, of whom there were many in Chicago. He 
called upon the chief engineer of one of the railroads and asked his advice as to the best 
way of approaching the employes of that road. "How much do you know about a steam 
engine?" asked the engineer. "Nothing." "Then," said the chief engineer, "read 'Lardner's 

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Economy' until you are able to ask an engineer a question about a locomotive and he not 
think you a fool." Young Whipple had the practical sense to see the justice of that advice. 
So he read up, and in due season went to the roundhouse, where he found a number of engi- 
neers standing by a locomotive which the firemen were cleaning. He saw that it was a 
Taunton engine with inside connections, and asked, at a venture, "Which do you like best, 
inside or outside connections?" This brought out information about steam heaters and var- 
iable exhausts, and in half an hour he had learned more than his book had ever taught him. 
When he said good-by, he added: "Boys, where do you go to church? I have a free 
church in Metropolitan Hall where I would be glad to see you, and if at any time you need 
me I shall be glad to go to you. The following Sunday every man was in church. It is 
always wise to get into touch with anyone over whom we wish to have an influence, Christ 
went about doing good and he was a marvellous illustration of the good that may be done 
through coming into personal touch with people. 

CONDITIONS NECESSARY TO SPIRITUAL PRECEPTION. 374 

Statistics which have just been compiled show that of the three hundred and two thous- 
and totally blind persons in Europe, one hundred and ninety-three thousand are natives of 
Russia. This means that out of every five hundred subjects of the czar there is one who is 
deprived of his sight. In no other country do we find this terrible affliction by any means 
so widespread. In Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and Spain there is only one blind 
person in every one thousand inhabitants. Russian oculists and physicians say that the 
reason why so many of their countrymen are blind, and so many others have defective eye- 
sight, is because insufficient attention is paid throughout the country to the ordinary laws of 
hygiene, and they maintain that Russians will continue to suffer in this way as long as they 
keep themselves and their homes in an unhealthy condition. Lack of general health has no 
closer relation to blindness or physical sight than lack of moral wholesomeness has to spir- 
itual perception. Many men's eyes are holden because their hearts are unclean. Of such, 
well may the Savior say, "If the light that is in thee be darkness how great is that dark- 
ness." 

WAITING FOR THE WATER. 375 

Professor David Fairchild declares that the driest spot on earth is at Payta, a district 
in Peru. It is on the coast, about five degrees south of the equator, and, in spite of the 
nearness of the ocean, is drier than the deserts of Chili. Sea clouds are plentiful, but as a 
general thing seven years roll by between showers. Nevertheless, Prof. Fairchild found nine 
distinct species of plants, and among these seven were one year old sprouts. The professor 
says that the seeds of these plants must have lain in the soil seven years in a dormant state 
until the rain gave them life. The natives do not expect to reap until the seventh year after 
sowing. It means much when the influences of Divine grace on the human heart are com- 
pared to the water. Christ comes as the Water of Life to the thirsty shrubs of the desert. 
The showers are at our call and we may bring them upon us at will. If the spiritual graces 
die out in our hearts the fault must always be our own. 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

PETTING A LION'S CUBS. 376 

A young woman in Baltimore recently gave a novel performance at the Zoo in that 
city. She went into a lion cage where the lion mother nestled with her four cubs. She 
picked them up one by one and brought them out. The lioness following her, carrying the 
last one just as a cat carries a kitten. The performer petted and fondled the little lion cubs 
and caressed the old lioness. Some day perhaps she will be destroyed by them. Some 
years ago in a park near Brooklyn, New York, a woman kissed a lion at a public perform- 
ance. She had often done so before without injury, but on this occasion the lion was angry 
and tore her face with his cruel teeth. How many people there are who are fondling lion 
cubs, and are caressing what they imagine to be the tamed lions of sin. It is never safe, 
though sin come in the form of a lion ever so tame. The danger and the devil of it is still 
there, and some day it will destroy the man or the woman who tampers with it. 

RUSKIN'S FAITH. 2>77 

The faith of John Ruskin in God and His loving care was as simple as that of a child. 
His belief in immortality did not tremble or grow feeble like an expiring candle, but burned 
brighter as he approached the end of his long pilgrimage upon earth. The latter years of his 
life were clouded with illness, but whenever the mind cleared he would often be heard softly 
repeating, over and over, the beautiful words of Tennyson: 

"Sunset and evening star. 

And one clear call for me; 
And may there be no moaning of the bar, 

When I put out to sea"; 

Which is much like his own exquisite language, written in earlier years : "When the time 
comes for us to wake out of the world's sleep, why should it be otherwise than out of the 
dreams of night? Singing of birds, first broken and low, as — not the dying eyes but eyes 
that wake to life — the casement slowly grows a glimmering square, and then the gray and 
then the rose of dawn, and last the light whose going forth is to the ends of heaven !' 

THE SPIRITUAL HELIOGRAPH. 378 

The war in South Africa has brought to the front the value of the heliograph signal. 
The present system as employed by the beseiged at Ladysmith, was not perfected until 1879. 
It is known as the Mance heliograph and was first tested in the Afghan war. In recent 
years the heliograph has been improved greatly. In this country the experiments have been 
conducted on the plains and in the mountain countries. It has been made to work success- 
fully between Pike's Peak and Denver, a distance of sixty miles. The advantages of the 
heliograph system are that signals can be read only by the man at the signal station; that 
messages can be sent when all wires are cut and all the ground channels of communication 
are closed, and that the code is as intelligible at twenty or even forty miles as it would be 
on the electric telegraph. The disadvantages of the system are that it can be used only on 
clear days, and that a cloud or a fog may interrupt the most momentous message. Prayer is 
a spiritual system of heliograph between the human heart and the Divine throne. In that 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

code, too, the signal is personal, but it has the great advantage that no cloud or storm or 
trial and no fog of perplexity can interfere with messages from heaven being received. 

FAITH AND DOUBT. 379 

The fact that unbelievers who seek to rob Christians of their faith in God often demand 
far greater credulity in the acceptance of something else is very clearly set forth by Fred- 
erick R. Torrence in his psalm of experience, entitled "The House of a Hundred Lights" : 

The wise men say that life's not worth a barleycorn when all is done. 
Well, then — and not till then — I'll try the granary behind the sun. 

"Doubt everything," the Thinker said, when I was parch'd with Reason's drought; 
Said he, "Trust me, I've probed these things," have utter faith in me — and doubt 1 

"Though the sky reel and day dissolve, and though a myriad suns fade out, 
One thing of Earth seems permanent and founded on Belief: 'tis — Doubt." 

The world's great rule is, "Give and take" ; and, so that custom may not smother, 
I'll give Doubt freely with one hand and take Faith freely by the other. 

Yes, he that wove the skein of stars and poured out all the seas that are 
Is Wheel and Spinner and the Flax, and Boat and Steersman and the Star. 

FRESH IMPULSE. 380 

Every man and woman who has lived to mature life knows how important it is to a 
growing and successful career, that they shall be aroused occasionally by fresh impulses. 
God deal with the earth in that way. The springtime gives a fresh impulse to all nature. 
Robert Burns Wilson, Kentucky's poet painter, describes that oft described miracle with new 
vigor in his poem on "The Voice of Spring" : 

Once more, once more — thank God! 

I hear the dull earth waking, 

I feel the green grass breaking 
The fragrant sod. 

Let go thy grasp, dull care. 

Fly hence, ye shades of sadness ! 

Life lifts her head, and gladness , 
Mounts on the air. 

It is like that when the Easter message comes to the soul, and out from the heavy win- 
ter of doubt and sin the soul shakes off its icy bondage and rises to hope and spiritual 
triumph. 

SORROW AND SONG. 381 

Life's old lesson, which teaches that the choicest successes of life can never come except 
at the cost of sacrifice and pain, is illustrated in Beatrice Prall's poem on "Sorrow and 
Song," in the London Spectator: 

158 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

"Give me the gift of Song," one asked of Fate, 
"That I may sing of beauty and of Spring ; 
Of woodland glades where streams are murmuring; 
Of snow-topped mountains, lone and desolate; 
Of love and sorrow, of revenge and hate." 
Saith Fate : "That gift be thine, but it shall bring 
Sorrow. Each note of gladness thou shalt sing 
Unto thy heart's deep anguish shall vibrate." 

"Be mine the power," he said, "and mine each pang 

That is the guerdon of the poet's song." 

So in the market-place the whole day long 

Amid his busy fellowmen he sang, 

And none who heard him, guessed that each sweet strain 

Had wrung the singer's heart with mortal pain. 

THE METAL AND THE SOUL. 382 

Christian Burke sings in the Pall Mall Magazine a very striking little song calling at- 
tention to the fact that the human soul is like metal in the hand of God, and if we leave it 
to Him to work His will upon it. He will bring about a result that shall be full of joy and 
happiness to us. 

Lo, as a Craftsman with some metal toils — 

Not with rude violence and mechanic's skill 

Then into one dull pattern moulds and spoils 

The precious ore — but with what art he may 

He fashions it, till he attain his will. 

Thus, with a like deep patience must thou bend 

The life God gave thee to a great desire; 

Fear no sharp pain that brings about thine end — 

Nay, even dread not the Refiner's fire ; 

Rest not content — the last stroke is not tried. 

Till in His Likeness thou wake — satisfied. 

TO-DAY'S POSSIBILITIES. 383 

S. E. Kiser sings a helpful lay about doing the duty which is at our hand, and tells how 
the duty done, though in trivial matters, will leave its deposit in character at the end of the 
day. 

I may not, when the sun goes down. 

Have added to my store 
Of worldly goods or gained renown 
In gallantry or lore. 

I may not, while I strive to-day, 

Move onward to the goal — 
The gleaming goal so far away — 

On which I've set my soul. 

But I can show a kindness to 

Someone who stands without, 
And I can praise some toiler who 

Is toiling on in doubt. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

And when the sun goes down I still 

May be a better man — 
No matter what the fates may will — 

Than when the day began. 

HOW TO MAKE BEGGARS. 384 

Mr. C. McGovern has an interesting article in the Home Magazine on "The Truth About 
Beggars." Having determined to find out the treatment that beggars received in New York, 
Mr. McGovern bought a beggar's outfit of ragged clothes, put his arm in a sling, saturated 
his clothing with carbolic acid, and bandaged his fingers so they would seem to be very bad- 
ly burned. He then divided up New York City into seven districts, and started out on a 
Monday morning. In his seven day's experience he says that not once was his story of need 
questioned. Everyone he accosted treated him as though they really believed him to be de- 
serving. Some people glanced at his hands and shuddered when they saw the supposed 
painful burns. Not everyone he asked gave him money or food, for out of every five persons 
he received help from only three. But even those who gave him nothing treated him with- 
out harshness. The astonishing part of the story, to those who are not experienced in this 
sort of thing, is in the results. The total amount he received in his seven days of begging 
on an absolutely fraudulent basis, that could have been discovered in two minutes by any 
man determined to know the truth, was over seventy dollars. The time of actual begging 
each day averaged less than eight hours, so that the amount he received was at the rate of 
about a dollar and a quarter an hour of actual work. It is this careless giving that per- 
petuates the army of beggars in the most prosperous times. Such giving is not born of 
benevolence, but of selfishness, and of laziness which will not take the time to find oiit 
whether there be real need, and if so how it can be helped without destroying the one in 
trouble. 

THE POET AND THE CHRISTIAN. 385 

Miss Ida Coolbrith, the sweet singer of California, in a little poem entitled "The Poet," 
describes the kind of faith and confidence which must inspire the heart of every sincere 
Christian. She sings of the poet, what ought to be always true of the Christian. 

He walks with God upon the hills ! 

And sees, each morn, the world arise 

New-bathed in light of Paradise. 
He hears the laughter of her rills. 

Her melodies of many voices. 

And greets her while his heart rejoices. 
She to his spirit undefiled, 
Makes answer as a little child; 

Unveiled before his eyes she stands, 

And gives her secret to his hands. 

REBUKE TO CYNICISM. 386 

Under the title of "Rebuke," Miss Ida Coolbrith beautifully illustrates the simple but 
inevitable answer to cynicism in our attitude towards God's dealings with our human lives. 

160 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

"The world is old and the world is cold, 

And never a day is fair," I said. 
Out of the Heavens the sunlight rolled. 

The green leaves rustled above my head, 
And the sea was a sea of gold. 

"The world is cruel," I said again, 

"Her voice is harsh to my shrinking ear, 
And the nights are dreary and full of pain." 

Out of the darkness, sweet and clear. 
There rippled a tender strain — 

Rippled the song of a bird asleep, 

That sang the dream of the budding wood, 
Of shining fields where the reapers reaped. 

Of a wee brown mate and a nestling brood, 
And grass where the berries peep. 

"This world is false, though the world be fair, 

And never a heart is pure," I said. 
And lo ! the clinging of white arms bare, 

The innocent gold of my baby's head. 
And the lisp of a childish prayer. 

THE GRAVEYARD OF HOPES. 387 

Sable Island, that grim, ghost-haunted fragment of sand, strewn with more wrecks than 
any other twenty miles of the earth's surface, is called "The Graveyard of the Atlantic." It 
lies so flat on the sea that in a gray day it is hardly distinguishable from the ocean itself. It 
is an ambush of ships, for all around it is a tangle-work of insatiable shoals ever feeding on 
wrecks. Everywhere along these shores death lurks. In the course of a single year these 
shoals claimed more than two hundred lives. The island itself is fighting for self-preser- 
vation. It seems as if it drew ships into its fatal embrace as rallying points for its loose and 
shifting sands, thus to protect itself by a bulwark of wrecks against annihilation by the sea. 
That graveyard of hopes and ships is like the liquor saloon. Death lurks about its doors 
and it reaches out a tangle-work of shoals to trap unwary souls. Instead of two hundred 
souls, a hundred thousand a year wreck the ship of life, and bury their hopes in this most 
horrid of graveyards, the liquor saloons of America. 

TRUE RICHES. 388 

Mary Sebastian Lawson sings of the riches of the soul which come to be the possession 
of those who trust God, through storm as well as through shine, in a quatrain full of com- 
fort. She says: 

Who knoweth how good gifts to get 

Is wise, — is almost rich, indeed ! 
Who knoweth how to lose and yet 

Remain in peace, he hath no need. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

A FRIEND IN NEED. 389 

When Jesus fainted under the cross, a black man by the name of Simon carried the 
Savior's cross the rest of the way to the summit of Calvary. We do not know whether he 
appreciated this great privilege then or not. Even if he did not at the time, but afterward be- 
came a Christian, what joy it would be to him to remember that he carried the cross for 
Jesus in that hard hour. One of the richest gifts God gives us on the way of life are the 
friends who stand by us in the darkest hours, and carry our cross for us when we are ready 
to faint beneath its load. Under the title of "Friends," Will T. Hale sings these comforting 
words : 

"Though we are worn and weary from some loss. 

Yet on life's journey many friends there be — 
The Simons who assist to bear the cross 
Along the stony road to Calvary." 

GOD'S PROVIDENCE. • 390 

There are some people who put the incidents given us in the Bible relating to God's care 
over His children so far away into the realm of the miraculous that they rob themselves of 
all the comfort that can be drawn from them. I should rather err at the other extreme, for 
after all, everything we have is God's gift to us, and however indirectly it may seem to 
come. His loving thoughtfulness is behind it. The coldness of the cynic and the skeptic is a 
far more bitter thing to live with, than the faith, simple and childlike, exercised by the old 
colored person who was having a pretty hard time to get along, and discovered a live 'pos- 
sum in the meeting house one Sunday morning. The old man immediately pronounced the 
benediction with the remark: " 'Lijah wuz fed by ravens in de wilderness, en 'possum dis 
col' mawnin', is none de less providential !" 

THE OLD TREASURE HOUSE'S. 39i 

The famous marble quarries of the Pentelikon, near Athens, Greece, remained undis- 
turbed and silent until this century, when, after the crov/ning of the first King of Greece, 
the erection of a Royal Palace again called attention to the national wealth in the finest of 
stone. The road to the foot of the Pentell Hills was reopened, the bridges were repaired, and 
a large quantity of the famous old marble was employed in the construction of a new Athens. 
It is estimated that there still remain two billion tons of pure white marble and six hundred 
million tons of white marble with blue veins in this great old treasury of stone. The Bible, 
in the higher realm, is a treasure-house like that. Old as it is, the purest moral and spiritual 
stones for the building of character, and in the erecting of noble manhood, and holy woman- 
hood, are to be found in the unlimited quarries of God's Word. 

TRANSFORMATION. 392 

The coming of Christian faith and love into the human heart produces a transformation 
in thought and life which is beyond the power of pen to describe. It brings into our lives a 
new spirit full of the romance of heaven. It causes us to see that the great glory of a life 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

does not lie in single heroic, manly deeds, but in the living of all life in an exalted spirits 
Clifford Lanier touches this with poetic fire in these illuminating lines : 

The humblest life that lives may be divine; 
Christ changed the common water into wine. 
Star-like comes Love from out the magic East — 
And Life, the hermit, jfinds his fast a feast. 

THE VALUE OF OBEDIENCE. 393:^ 

Sir Henry Brackenbury says that on one occasion, when he was military attache in 
Paris, he was holding a conversation with Gambetta. The distinguished Frenchman said to 
him, "In these days there are only two things which a soldier need know; he must know how 
to march, and he must know how to shoot." The Englishman replied, "I beg your pardon, 
Excellency, there is a third thing, which you have forgotten." "What is that?" said he. The 
reply was, "He must know how to obey." It is not enough to know how to march, it is not- 
enough to know how to shoot ; there must in addition be fire discipline, and that fire disci- 
pline comes of the soldier's knowing how to obey — to obey not merely with blind obedience, 
but with an obedience which comes from faith, faith in the officers, faith in 
their justice, faith in their knowledge, faith in their skill, and faith in their being the 
soldier's true friend. And those are the qualities required to make a good soldier of Jesus 
Christ. It is not enough for us to be alert and active to do right. Our marching and our 
execution must have behind them a loyal obedience to God born of our faith in his wisdom, 
and power, and goodness. Such a soldier will not waver on the firing line. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF TEMPER. 394. 

A writer in The Scotsman calls attention in a virile article to the fact that few words 
are more in men's and women's mouths than those born of "temper." Few things go 
further towards the world's happiness and comfort or toward its misery and irritation than 
a prevailing good or bad temper in its inhabitants. A world in which the temper of every- 
body was placid and forgiving, generous and unselfish, would be a veritable Paradise Re- 
stored. On the other hand, a world in which the general temper of men and women was 
harsh and vengeful, cruel and suspicious, would be simply Hell. Life would not be worth 
living. Every man's hand would be against his neighbor, and society and civilization 
would soon come to a miserable ending. Christ is in the world seeking to master the hu- 
man temper and bring it under the supreme control of love. Ever-y time we restrain our 
tempers from anger, or malice, or evil of any kind, and hold them in obedience to love, we 
are helping to bring about the reign of Jesus Christ in the earth. 

THE EMPTY NEST. 395. 

There are many people in the world who have lost out of reach of their human touch 
the associations that made their nesting place in this world. Sometimes looking back, such 
lonely souls are ready to complain and to feel that the home that has been broken was a fail- 
ure because it has ceased to be what it once was. But it is not a failure, and God will 

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treasure up the good of it in our hearts, and in the heaven above. Margaret Sangster sug- 
gests our thought in her touching little poem entitled "An Empty Nest." 

Never a sign in this empty nest 

Of the love that mated, the love that sung; 
The birds are flown to the East and West, 

And the husks of their homestead have no tongue 
To tell the sweet still summer eve, 

Of the sweeter, merrier summer days ; 
Only a nest in the falling leaves, 

And silence here in the wood's dark maze. 

But I hold in my hand the dainty thing, 

Woven of feather and fluff and reed. 
Once 'twas the haven of breast and wing, 

And the shelter of callow and helpless need. 
It tells of a passionate gladness gone; 

It dumbly whispers that love is best; 
That never a night but has had a dawn — 

And I drop a kiss in the empty nest. 

LIVING IN CAVERNS. 396 

It is said that a distinguished Southern man who is writing a book has dug a cave ten 
feet deep and extending several yards under ground in his front yard and fitted it up as a 
workshop. In this cave the author goes in the morning and spends the day in serious work, 
turning off page after page of copy. This is of course only an eccentricity of genius, but 
there are a great many people who live all the while in caverns deeper and darker than the 
one which this man has dug in his front yard. They are walled about by gloom and dis- 
content that colors all the work of their lives. The bright morning sunlight is after all the 
best inspiration for true work. I think it was Emerson who once said, though possibly it 
may have been Carlyle, that he would rather live in the most flimsy air-castle that was 
ever dreamed of, than in those caverns and dungeons in which some men hide them- 
selves. 

PERSEVERANCE. 397 

James Tyson was born in Argyle, Scotland, a region that breeds men of big bone and 
taut sinew. Long before he had gained his six feet-four of manly stature — when he was 
only ten years old, he went to Australia and began life in the bush. He saved his wages 
and thrice essayed to go into business for himself. The first time his partner ran away 
with the money given him to buy stock. Tyson went to work again. The second time 
drought killed his cattle. Again he set to work for wages to build u.n his ruined fortunes. 
The third time the black "bush boys" overran the community and robbed him of his herd. 
At it Tyson went for the fourth time, and this time the natives did not trouble him, drought 
did not impoverish him, nor did his partner defraud him. He had failed three times in 
fourteen years, but the fourth time he succeeded, and he became the richest man in Australia. 
In every department of life men are constantly failing for lack of perseverance and pluck 

164. 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

that enables a man to get up and try again with renewed courage. It is one of the glorious 
characteristics of Christianity that it renews the courage of men. 

THE PRESENT OPPORTUNITY. 39^ 

The best way to reach the greater field of privilege and opportunity about which all 
earnest and ambitious souls dream is to do the present duty with supreme fidelity. Helen M. 
Richardson sings this truth : 

Just where you stand in the conflict, 

There is your place ! 
Just where you think you are useless, 

Hide not your face ! 
God placed you there for a purpose, 

Whate'er it be; 
Think he has chosen you for it; 

Work loyally. 

DROWNED IN THEIR OWN POOL. 399 

While fighting a fire in New York City recently, three firemen were suddenly hurled 
into the cellar of the building through the giving away of the ground floor. The cellar was 
filled with water which they themselves had thrown on the fire in their efforts to save the 
building from destruction, they were drowned before they could be rescued. Though 
these men were drowned in a pool of their own making their deaths were most brave and 
honorable. But how many times it is otherwise, and men lay a trap by their own sins hoping 
to ensnare someone else, but are destroyed in it themselves. Haman is not the only man 
who has built a gallows for his Mordecai and afterwards swung on it himseli. 

THE TREASURY OF A MOTHER'S HEART. 400 

There is a very significant and interesting s*" tement made about Mary, the Mother 
of Jesus, that when the shepherds and the wise '^ :n came to worship Jesus in his baby- 
hood, and on other occasions that Mary "kept all t ese things in her heart." An unknown 
writer in the New York Press sings a little song o'" a mother's homesickness for her baby 
after he has grown into manhood, that is full of thi? pathos and mystery of motherhood : 

"A little ring of gold — a battered shoe — 

A faded, curling wisp of yellow hair — 
Some pencilled pictures — playthings one or two — 

A corner and a chest to hold them there. 

Many a woman's fondest hoard is this, 

Among her dearest treasures none so dear, 
Though bearded lips are often hers to kiss 

That once made only prattle to her ear. 

The sturdy arm, the seasoned form, the brow 

That arches over eyes of manly blue 
Mean all joy to her living memory now. 

And yet — and yet — she hugs the other, too ! 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

With that rare love, mysterious and deep, 

Down in a mother's heart thro' all the years, 
That placid age can never lull to sleep 

And is not grief, yet often brings foolish tears. 

She often goes those hoarded things to view, 

And finger the wee treasures hidden there — 
To touch the little ring and battered shoe 

And kiss the curling wisp of yellow hair !" 

SMOOTHING THE ROUGH SEAS OF LIFE. 401 

An Italian inventor living in Paris has devised a new plan for rendering a rough sea 
•smooth in the vicinity of ships, lighthouses, and harbor entrances. He employs a netting 
stretched on the surface of the water and kept afloat by buoys. It is also held in place by 
anchors. The netting is made waterproof in order to preserve it. Experiments indicate that 
this device will be more effectual than oil in rendering a rough sea smooth, and that a ship 
can be protected by this netting if outriggers are used to hold it in place. Solomon tells 
about one kind of sea that can be kept from running high by giving a soft answer. He de- 
clares that that will turn away wrath and many of us have seen the tossing whitecaps of vexa- 
tion and hate quiet down into a peaceful mirrorlike surface under a gentle wora 

BURNING UP MANHOOD. 402 

A Spanish steamer came into Norfolk, Virginia, recently on her way from Rio to Phila- 
delphia in a pitiful condition. She steamed into port a mere iron hull, everything combustible 
on board having been fed to the furnaces to help her reach a coaling port. The vessel sailed 
from Rio with a big cargo of manganese ore with barely coal supply enough to take her to 
Philadelphia, where she was to refill her bunkers, but a bad storm off Cape Hatteras delayed 
her and used up this scanty supply, and the captain began to feed her woodwork into the 
furnaces. She battled through the gale and headed for the nearest port, but masts, spars, 
rails, decks, and furniture, all had to be sacrificed to bring her in. She could not even make 
the coal piers at Norfolk with her last remaining steam, for there was literally nothing left in 
her to burn and she was compelled to anchor down the harbor until a lighter of coal was sent 
to fill her bunkers. Some people are going on the voyage of life toward the harbor of old 
age like that. They are burning up their manhood for fuel to keep up steam and make 
speed. It was wise in these men to burn up their spars and decks rather than lose ship and 
!ife, but it never pays a man to burn up character and manhood in order to keep his body alive 
or to make a good display. The fuel is more important in that case than the shi^ 

CROMWELL'S STAMP. 403 

A remarkable discovery of coins was made recently under the thatch of the roof of a 
very old farm house near Hoghton Tower in England. It is supposed that these coins were 
hidden away in this place by Cromwell's soldiers for safety. They were in a curious leather 
bag and are dated near the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth century. 
These old coins are interesting as curiosities but it would be a decided tonic to some public 

166 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

men to-day if they could get some of the Cromwell metal into their blood in dealing with 
public affairs. 

THE STONE OF GRATITUDE. 404 

The topaz is called the stone of gratitude, and the old Roman books record an inter- 
esting legend from which the stone derived its attribute: The blind emperor Theodosius 
used to hang a brazen gong before his palace gates and sit beside them on certain days, 
hearing and putting to right the grievances of any of his subjects. Those who wished for 
his advice and help had but to sound the gong, and immediately admission into the presence 
of the emperor was obtained. One day a great snake crept up to the gate and struck the 
brazen gong with her coils, and Theodosius gave orders that no one should molest the 
creature, and bade her tell him her wish. The snake bent her crest lowly in homage and 
straightway told the following tale: Her nest was at the base of the gateway tower, and 
'while she had gone to find food for her young brood a strange beast covered with sharp 
needles had invaded her home, killing the nestlings and now held possession of the little 
dwelling. Would the great Caesar do her justice? The Emperor gave orders for the por- 
cupine to be slain and the mother to be restored to her desolate nest. Night fell, and the 
sleeping world had forgotten the Emperor's kindly deed, but with the early dawn the snake 
glided into the palace, up the steps into the royal chamber and laid upon each of the Em- 
peror's closed eyelids a gleaming topaz. When Emperor Theodosius awoke he found that 
he was no longer blind, for the mother snake had paid her debt of gratitude. The fruits 
of gratitude are always very beautiful and precious. We ought never to hold back a grate- 
ful word or a gracious deed in return for kindness shown us. It blesses both him who gives 
and him who receives. 

HUMAN BROTHERHOOD. 405 

Though hate^ anger and greed through war and violence still work their savage way in 
the world, when we can get a glimpse at the individual human nature we see that Its deep 
pathos is alike the world over. An English journalist who was captured by the Boers re- 
lates this touching story: 

"One sight I saw which will stay with me while memory lasts. They had placed me 
under a wagon, beneath a mass of overhanging rocks for safety, and there they brought two 
wounded men. One was a man of fifty, a hard old veteran, with a complexion as dark as 
a New-Zealand Maori. The beard that framed his rugged face was three- fourths gray; his 
hands were as rough and knotted by open air toil as the hoofs of a working steer. He 
looked what he was — a Boer of mixed Dutch and French lineage. Later on I got into con- 
versation with him, and he told me a good deal of his life. His father was descended from 
one of the old Dutch families who had emigrated to South Africa in search of religious 
liberty in the old days when the country was a wilderness. His mother had come in an un- 
broken line from one of the noble families of France who fled from home in the days of 
the terrible persecution of the Huguenots. He himself had been many things — hunter, trader, 
farmer and fighting man. He had fought against the natives, and he had fought 
against our people. The younger man was his son, a tall, fair fellow, scarce- 
ly more than a stripling, and I had no need to be a prophet to tell that his 

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very hours were numbered. Both men had been wounded by one of our shells 
and it was pitiful to watch them as they lay side by side, the elder holding the hand of the 
younger in a loving clasp, while with his other hand he stroked the boyish face with 
gestures that were infinitely pathetic. Just as the stars were coming out that night between 
the clouds that floated over us the Boer boy sobbed his young life out, and all through the 
long watches of that mournful darkness the father lay with his dear laddie's hand in his. 
The pain of his own wounds must have been dreadful, but I heard no moan of anguish from 
his lips. When at the dawning they came to take the dead boy from the living man the 
stern old warrior simply pressed his grizzled lips to the cold face, and then turned his gray 
beard to the hard earth and made no further sign." 

TRUE HEROISM. 406 

At Sands, Indiana, the young lady telegraph operator was sitting in her office in her 
little tower forty feet above the level of the track, and as the track is on an embankment 
twenty feet high she was sixty feet above the main level of the ground. She had just 
given the signal to the extra freight to come on, that all was clear. The train pulled out of 
the siding and as it was passing her little tower a car jumped the track. This threw four 
other cars off, and all of them came with great force against the tower, overturning it and 
sending the young operator to the ground in a mass of wreckage which was soon burned 
up. She extricated herself, and, although she was hurt so badly she could not walk alone 
she managed to crawl on her hands and knees up the steep embankment where she found 
a man and ordered him to flag a fast passenger train which was due in a few minutes. 
Having saved the train she fainted away from pain and exhaustion. She said she did not 
think about the hurt, but her one prayer was to keep from fainting until she could save 
the train. That is the kind of devotion to duty that marks the truly heroic spirit. Give 
us that spirit in the church and we shall continue to win greater and greater victories for 
Christ. 

NIGHT BELLS. 407 

Of nightbells of one sort and another there are a great many kinds in a large city. 
There is, for instance, the drug store nightbell, which is old and familiar. And the doctor's 
nightbell, and that saddest of all, the nightbell of the undertaker. In cities on the coast 
there is another kind of nightbell which marks the office of the wrecking company. It is 
usually in a waterside street, with a painted sign on the wall beside it in the usual familiar 
words, "Nightbell," a place where one can go to get help for vessels in distress by night as 
well as by day. Praj^er is that kind of a bell. The Christian can ring it night or day and 
know full well that heaven will not be so busy but what it will be heard and heeded. 

THE TRACES OF THE BEASTS. 408 

A traveller writes that on every side in the Malay wilds the traces of the beasts — 
which here live as secluded, as safe from molestation, as did their ancestors in pre-adamite 
days, are visible on tree trunk, on beaten game path, and on the yielding clay at the drinking 
places by the hurrying stream. Here a belt of mud nine feet from the ground shows that 

168 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

an elephant has rubbed its itching back against the rough bark of a tree; and see! Coarse 
hairs are still sticking in the hardened clay. There a long, sharp scratch repeated at 
regular intervals, marks the passing of a rhinocerous. Here again is the pad mark 
of a tiger, and the pitted track of deer of all sizes and varieties surround the deeply punched 
holes which mark the footsteps of an elephant. But alas, we too, can see the mark of the 
beasts as we pass along the way of life in civilized lands. Every liquor saloon, every 
gambling hell, every brothel, as well as every bloated and staggering victim of them show 
the traces of the beasts. Every Christian is consecrated to the mission of helping to bring 
about the reign of Jesus Christ until the beasts everywhere shall be overthrown in human 
life. 

SEEING THINGS TOPSY-TURVY. 409 

There is a little girl in California who sees everything bottom side up and backward. 
To her the whole world is topsy-turvy. The doctors are greatly puzzled over the case. 
This is a very rare physical imperfection, but it is very common mentally and morally. 
Every day we see people to whom sin has turned things wrong side up and backward to 
their gaze. If men sin against their own light and knowledge there comes to be a time 
when their perception is confused and they call evil good and good evil. 



THE IDEAL CITY. 410 

The Rev. Charles M. Sheldon, the famous author of "In His Steps," has recently 
written for the New York World a striking poem on "The Ideal City." Mr. Sheldon's 
lines are full of virility, and the best of all is that every sincere Christian may feel sure 
that the day is coming when such cities shall exist in God's world : 

What makes a city great and strong? 

Not architecture's graceful strength, 

Not factories' extended length. 
But men who see the civic wrong, 
And give their lives to make it right. 
And turn its darkness into light. 

What makes a city full of power? 

Not wealth's display nor titled fame, 

Not fashion's loudly boasted claim. 
But women, rich in virtue's dower, 
Whose homes, though humble, still are great 
Because of service to the State. 

What makes a city men can love? 

Not things that charm the outward sense, 

Not gross display of opulence, 
But right, that wrong can not remove, 
And truth, that faces civic fraud. 
And smites it in the name of God. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

This is a city that shall stand, 

A light upon a nation's hill, 

A voice that evil cannot still, 
A source of blessing to the land ; 
Its strength not brick, nor stone, nor wood, 
But Justice, Love and Brotherhood. 

THE DEVIL'S ECLIPSE TRAINS. 411 

There is a novelty in railroad excursions in the experiments of the Southern Railway 
m regard to the total eclipse of _the sun May 28th. Great excursions are to be run so timed that 
they will enter the great shadow of the moon as it trails across the states of the South 
from New Orleans to Norfolk. Observation cars, smoked glass, and luncheon will be 
provided. As the time table of the eclipse is just as certain as the rising of the sun, the 
railroad men can make no mistake and know just when and where to meet the deepest 
shadow. This is probably the first eclipse train ever run on the earth by men, but the 
devil has been at it a long time. He runs them over many a different route; avarice, drunk- 
enness, lust, hate, all these are popular excursions by which the devil takes a man out of 
the light of innocence and righteousness, eclipses the sun for him, and hurries him the 
deeper into the darkness of despair. Men pay fearful prices on these trains. They have but 
one terminus and that is despair. 

THE GOLDEN ROSE. 412 

It is the custom of the Pope of Rome to present annually to some Queen who has 
proved herself a worthy daughter of that church a golden rose. This rose costs His Holi- 
ness forty thousand lire, or about eight thousand dollars of our money. The stem of the 
rose is of massive gold, and about four feet in length. The leaves are large and on them are 
engraved the name of the Pope and the various virtues of the Queen who is to receive it. The 
leaves are further adorned with many gleaming precious stones, which represent the heavenly 
dew. But there is a rose more splendid than that, the Rose of Sharon, and that Rose God will 
cause to bloom in the garden of our hearts without money and without price. Strange that 
any should refuse such a blessing. 

THE SIGN OF SUBMISSION. 413 

John Caggin in his book, "Among the Man-Eaters," tells how one day a little native girl 
ran to him, and before he was aware of it, picked up his foot and placed it on her neck. He 
knew well what that meant. Even in time of war if a chief allows his foot to rest on the de- 
feated one's neck the man's life is safe, but he is a slave forever, rescue or no rescue. Mr, 
Caggin was puzzled at the child's action. It was soon explained. Shortly afterward a lot of 
people from a near-by village came in pursuit of the child to take her away to serve at a can- 
nibal feast. But he told them what she had done and defended her from them and saved her 
life. If we surrender ourselves at the feet of Jesus Christ we become as Paul said he was, 
'the slave of Jesus. But so long as we keep that faith to him he will save us from all the 
man-eaters in the universe. To be the slave of Christ is the safest, happiest liberty this world 
has ever seen. 

IJO 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

JOY MURDERERS. 414 

In the first year of this century what is known as the Murderer's Bible made its appear- 
ance. The error indicated by the title, the word "Murderer's" being used for "murmurer's."' 
After all it wasn't such a great mistake, for there is no such kill-joy, no such murdering oi 
happiness in home or business life as that of the murmurer or the fretful person. 

THE DEVIL IN THE DRINK. 415 

One of the conductors on the great Brooklyn bridge came home the other day to his sick 
wife drunk. Maddened by his intoxication he stepped to the bedside and sneered: "Ain't 
you dead yet? If you ain't dead before morning I'll kill j^ou." With this threat he dragged 
his wife out of bed and beat and kicked her about the body. As the woman slowly crawled 
back into bed the man picked up his little girl, four years old, a frail little thing, and threw 
her with fiendish force at his wife. The screams of the woman and child attracted the neigh- 
bors in time to save their lives. And yet he bought his liquor in a saloon licensed by the 
state and protected by the government. How long, oh Lord, how long will the state barter 
tiie privilege of making wife beaters of its citizens for pelf? 

SHAM NOBILITY. 416 

They tell a characteristic story of Lord Methuen. A young sprig of nobility had but 
recently joined his division of the army in Africa. A younger son of a noble family he 
thought he could do about as he pleased and soon got into trouble. He had not been with the 
army long before he was sent up to Lord Methuen for some gross breach of discipline. Not 
knowing before whom he had been taken, the youngster resented the action, and said to Lord 

Methuen: "Do you know who I am? I am Lord ." There was silence for quite a 

minute and then came the answer : "Let me introduce myself. Paul Sanford Methuen sen- 
tences you to twenty-one days' confinement to barracks for breach of discipline." The younger 
son of the noble family wore a crestfallen look for once in his life as he went sadlv away. A 
noble name is all the deeper badge of disgrace if a man does not live worthy of it. 

THE BEST FOOD FOR A HARD CAMPAIGN. 417 

The military papers report that experiments are being made in Germany with a view to 
testing the merits of a new description of food for use in campaigning. The food consists 
of a biscuit which it is claimed is a perfect substitute for bread and of meat and vegetables 
preserved by a special process.. A regiment of soldiers are to be fed with this food for a 
week, neither the officers or men being allowed any other solid nourishment of any kind what- 
ever, and the most stringent precautions have been taken to prevent their obtaining any other 
fare. Moreover, throughout the trial period the battalion is to engage in manoeuvres, com- 
prising forced marches, camping out and every species of fatigue. The best food ever yet 
given to mankind to support strength in a hard spiritual campaign, is the Bread of Life that 
cometh down from heaven. Christ said, "I am the living bread which came down from 
heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is 
my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

A KING WHO NEVER BLUNDERS. 418 

An English captain was one day piloting a vessel through a difficult channel in the- 
Weser when he met a German war ship entering the river before the wind. A great gale was 
"blowing and just as he had managed his vessel so as to pass in safety the captain noticed that 
the German vessel was flying the Imperial standard. His anxious navigation and the fact 
that the flag had been clinging round the mast had prevented him from observing it be- 
fore; this made him late in returning the salute. The ship master lost his place in conse- 
quence. But the story has a better ending. The captain addressed a letter to the Emperor 
in which he gave a plain account of the facts and expressed his sorrow at the mistake. The 
Emperor William, who is himself a sailor, paid sympathetic heed to* the explanation and wrote 
to the English firm begging them for his sake to give the captain back his place as he was 
now satisfied that no intentional discourtesy had been offered. How comforting it is to 
know that the King of Kings never misunderstands us. It is never so foggy nor is the gale 
of life so strong that it can perplex or confuse his eye for a moment. He knows the deep 
purposes of our hearts and never blunders in his judgment. 

SUNSHINE AFTER RAIN. 419 

In the midst of the dark trials of life we may comfort ourselves with the faith that at 
the heart of things God means kindness to us, and that if we are sincerely seeking to do his 
will, the weeping may endure for a night, but joy shall come with the morning. There are 
no experiences so hard but they shall pass away and better times shall come if we are in the 
line of duty. Margaret Sangster sings this message in some very sweet lines : 

"No day so drear but evensong 

Shall wake the stars, 
No cell so Rocked but time ere long 

Shall break the bars. 
No loss so large but leaveth soil 

Its waste to mend, 
No task so great but plodding toil 

Shall see its end." 

WHAT MAKES A HOME? 420 

It is not granite walls or gaudy furniture, or splendid books, or soft carpets, or delicious 
viands, that can make a home. All these may be present and yet it be only a dungeon, if the 
great simplicities are not there. On the other hand it takes very little of the physical com- 
forts of life to make a home if the deep heart throbs of love and fellowship are present. 
James Whitcomb Riley sings very true indeed in these simple lines : 

"Let but a little hut be mine. 
Where at the hearthstone I may hear 

The cricket sing; 
And have the shine 
Of one glad woman's eyes to make, 
For my poor sake. 

Our simple home a place divine." 

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FJSHERS OF MEN. 

HANGING JUDAS. 421 

Throughout the new dominions which the Spanish-American war brought into the pos- 
session of the United States Judas was scourged and burned in effigy last Good Friday. 
The same ceremony was performed on several Spanish and Portugese vessels lying in our 
ports on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The tars hoist in the forerigging a wooden 
block roughly carved to imitate the betrayer, and clothed in an ordinary sailor's suit with 
a worsted cap on its head. At noon they duck this effigy three times into the water by means 
of a rope around its neck, and then cast it upon the deck to be belabored with blows and 
kicks until every vestige of clothing has been cut to tatters. The ceremony ends with the 
burning of Judas amid howls of execration. It is to be feared that many take part in this 
punishment of Judas who are themselves betraying their Master as treacherously as the man 
whose memory they hold in derision. God save our lips from that kiss of hypocrisy and dis- 
honor, which betrays the Lord. 

PRAYER AND THE SPIRITUAL LIFE. 422 

True spiritual life can never be maintained without much prayer. As the praying spirit 
evaporates true spirituality disappears. The first indications of a great revival of religion is 
usually seen in a disposition to pray. R. C. Trench sings with true spiritual insight of this 
close relation between prayer and spiritual life: 

"Lord, what a change within us one short hour 
Spent in thy presence will prevail to make! 
What heavy burden from our bosoms take, 
What parched grounds revive, as with a shower! 
We kneel, and all around us seems to lower; 
We rise, and all, the distant and the near, 
Stands forth a sunny outline brave and clear. 

We kneel, how weak 1 We rise, how full of powet ! 
Why, wherefore, should we do ourselves this wrong, 
Or others, that we are not always strong; 
That we are ever overborne with care ; 
That we should ever weak or heartless be, 
Anxious or troubled, when with us is prayer, 
And joy and strength and courage are with thee?" 

THE DAY OF REWARD. 423 

A London newspaper correspondent tells a most interesting story of the varied feelings 
which animated various classes of people when the British army under Lord Roberts en- 
tered the Capital of the Orange Free State. The music of the battered bugles and the rattle 
of the drums caused everybody in the town t& collect in the market square. One Scotch 
carpenter turned out in all the glory of kill and sporran. "When are the Highlanders com- 
ing in?" he kept asking, amid the tears that he was unable to keep back. Near him stood 
erect an old soldier, proudly displaying his row of medals, among them those for the Crimea 
and the Mutiny. An ex-bluejacket sported his old navy suit, but rather spoiled the effect by 
wearing a Glengarry cap. For these men, and others of their kind, the entry of the troops 

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was a sight worth livinp; ror. But for the men who had British blood in their veins, and yet 
had carried their Ma'^sers in the Federal ranks, it was a day of bitterness and remorse. They 
did not dare cheer the soldiers of the Queen, nor did the) sight of the Union Jack flying over 
the public buildings offer them consolation. They had offended greatly, and suffering was not 
spared them. Far different was it with the sturdy British who had refused to be comman- 
deered, who had dared to defy the Boer authorities, and who would have gone to prison, 
and even to death, rather than take up arms against the old country. These moral heroes 
were entitled to cheer, and cheer they did, until even the stolid Dutchmen were infected by 
their enthusiasm. If we are faithful to our Christ under all the circumstances of life, we 
shall near the day of meeting him in the spirit of those old English veterans with their 
medals on their breasts. It's a terrible thing to come to the end with the memory of treach- 
ery in our hearts, but glorious to come bearing our scars won in faithful service foi the 
Lord. 

HUMILITY AND HEART. 424 

As we climb the ladder of true greatness we become more humble. The higher we rise 
in the scale of being, the more perfectly we apprehend the grandeur and beauty of Christ, who 
is our ideal, and the more clearly we see our own weakness and need. Robert Leighton sings 
this with keen understanding in his little poem entitled "Duty" : 

'T reach a duty, yet I do it not. 

And therefore see no higher ; but if done, 
My view is brighten' d, and another spot 

Seen on my moral sun. 

For^ be the duty high as angel's flight. 

Fulfill it, and a higher will arise, 
E'en from its ashes. Duty is infinite — , 

Receding as the skies. 

And thus it is the purest most deplore 

Their want of purity. As fold by fold, 
In duties done, falls from their eyes, the more 

Of duty they behold. 

Were it not wisdom, then, to close our eyes 

On duties crowding only to appall ? 
No ; duty is our ladder to the skies. 

And, climbing not, we fall." 

A MOTHER'S SACRIFICE. 425 

A woman and a boy were walking on a railway track on Long Island, New York, and 
were entirely safe from harm. The boy was trotting by her side. A train came up on the 
other track and when it drew near the child suddenly became frightened and started to run. 
He made directly across the westbound track in front of the rushing locomotive. There 
was little time for the mother to make up her mind what to do. She was seen by the en- 
gineer and fireman to dash after the boy. By that time the express was upon the mother 
and child despite all efforts to check its speed. The woman was crushed to death but she 

^74 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

pushed the boy to safety. It was a heroic sacrifice of life, and when the train stopped and 
backed up to where she lay dead beside the track, the trainmen shed tears and took off their 
caps out of respect for her heroism. That was just like a mother. Ah, how much it means 
when God says that his feeling toward us is like a mother's ! 

UN WASTED DAYS.- 426 

No day in which a man does his duty, his plain, simple, unvarnished duty is ever wasted. 
Whatever may be the appearance to him or to others that look on. James Russell Lowell 
emphasizes this truth in some clear strong lines : 

"The longer on this earth we live 

And weigh the various qualities of men. 
Seeing how most are fugitive, 

Or fitful gifts at best, of now and then — 

Wind-wavered corpse-lights, daughters of the fen — 
The more we feel the high, stern- featured beauty 
Of plain devotedness to duty. 

Steadfast and still, nor paid with mortal praise, 
But finding amplest recompense 
For life's ungarlanded expense 

In work done squarely and unwasted days." 

PERSUASION BETTER THAN FORCE. 427 

Herr Seeth, the famous lion tamer, says that though he always carries a whip in one 
hand when dealing with his lions, that he uses it in a persuasive manner. He is strong in 
the assertion that persuasion enters far more into the business of lion taming than force. 
That is as true of men and women and children as it is of lions. Force is always to be re- 
garded as the last extremity in dealing with anybody. No man is really conquered unless 
conquered through his reason and heart. How gently, how forbearingly, how compassion- 
ately, God reasons with us, and seeks to win our hearts! 

THE BIRDS THAT RETURN. 428 

A recent magazine writer declares that the sole business of a migratory bird's sojourn in 
the summer land of its choice seems to be the rearing of a family. This accomplished, the 
thoughts of the birds seem to turn immediately to the South — to the warm, fruitful, gentle 
latitude, where harsh winds and chilling rains and fading leaves never benumb bright spirits. 
We are something like that. Earth is our nesting place. In this sshort human life we are 
to get our wings of character and strength and fly away to the heaven that awaits us. Grod 
has put the instinct in the bird's breast to guide it to a land where there is no harsh winter, 
and he has put the homing instinct in our souls, something which responds to the love song 
which comes to us in the Gospel. 

GROWTH OF PUBLIC SENTIMENT. 429 

If anybody doubts that there has been a rapid advancement in public sentiment against 
whisky and whisky drinking, let him take note that when the Congregational church at Au*^ 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

tinburg, Ohio, was dedicated a hundred years ago next June, it being the first frame church 
built on the Western Reserve, it was christened with a bottle of whisky, as ships are some- 
times. The days when this church was built were avowedly the days of whisky. It was 
the days when drink was poured out freely by all who attended the "raising" of a building, 
and when every one partook of it, as we of the present would take a glass of lemonade. The 
"raising" of the church at Austinburg occupied a whole week, beginning Mon- 
day morning and ending Saturday afternoon. On the last day the entire community was 
upon the scene to witness the dedicatory ceremonies. As none of those erecting the building 
would climb to the top of the spire, which is over one hundred feet from the ground, the 
services of a lake sailor were procured. With a rope in his hand he climbed to the topmost 
point of the edifice and as the last timber was placed he drew a bottle of whisky from the 
ground by means of a rope, and, breaking it over the spire, shouted : "Three cheers for the 
new church I" Remember this when you are tempted to say, "the former days were better 
than these." 

WOMEN AND LEGISLATION. 430 

It is sometimes said by those who oppose women having anything to do with politics and 
legislation, that civilization has so far advanced in America that women are treated righteous- 
ly without having political influence or power. Please note these facts which still exist in 
the United States : In thirty-seven states a married mother has no right to her children. In 
sixteen states a wife has no right to her earnings outside of the home. In eight states a wo- 
man has no right to her own property after marriage. In seven states there is no law com- 
pelling a man to support his family. 

THE WATER OF LIFE. 431 

An English correspondent in South Africa says that though he has thirsted in the 
thirstiest corners of the globe, the thirst of the veldt is a fresh experience. He says : "It 
will be quite curious to live without a water-bottle slung about one's shoulder. One can 
scarcely remember the day when water was not regarded with reverence and jealous envy, 
when it could be made to run clear, continuous and unvalued by a turn of the finger. Here, 
where one knows by tired limbs the weight of what one drinks, the thought of water flowing 
through pipes seems a dream of paradise. And such water! Water through which one 
could see, which left no mud at the bottom of the mug, and did not stain what it was spilled on. 
The water we drink here is often too thick even: to filter. At Ramdam there was a big pond 
— what was left of moisture in the dam. One bathed in it only under the necessity or 
compulsion of cleanliness. The water was very shallow, but the mud was black and deep. 
One sank to the knees if one tried to walk, and so sat gently half in mud and half in brown 
syrup, and thanked God for water. One rose from it with the green leeches hanging from 
one's body like bits of seaweed, and with a sprinkling of other less known insects. Horses 
looked askance at that pool, but the men drank of it greedily, and drank of it, where alone 
they could reach it, where the horses' hoofs had churned it into a blackish-green liquor thick 
as soup. Let every one who turns today a watertap in England give a thought to those who 
are dipping buckets in South Africa, and be grateful for an exceeding privilege." How strong 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

is the illustration which Christ uses when he compares the blessings of the Gospel to the 
Water of Life, which alone can satisfy perfectly the terrible thirst of the soul. And we who 
have the blessings of Christ in abundance should not only be grateful but ready to send this 
Water of Life to the millions who are dying of thirst without it. 

MEN AND APES. 432 

Bishop Stubbs, the new Bishop of Chester in England, was once approached by a pro- 
fessed infidel, who was proud of his witty sayings and who desired to humiliate the Bishop, 
with the remark, after announcing pompously some rumored scientific discovery, "It comes 
then, to this, the only distinction that I can see between a man and an ape is that the man 
can speak and the ape can't." Quick as a flash came the Bishop's answer, "Don't you think, 
perhaps, that there is also this distinction, that the man knows when to hold his tongue and 
the ape doesn*t?'* 

BLESSING A DUKE'S SWORD. 433 

When the Duke of Norfolk was getting ready to go to South Africa he took his sword 
to the private chapel at the Archbishop's House, where, according to an ancient rite, it was 
solemnly blessed before the altar by Cardinal Vaughan. Whatever one may think of that 
ceremony it suggests to us that every soldier of Jesus Christ should consecrate all his pow- 
ers to the service of the Lord, and Christians ought to feel held in honor to keep their vows 
as loyally as a true soldier keeps his sword faithful to his king. 

THE SHEPHERD'S TENDERNESS. 434 

Catherine Brock has a very beautiful little poem in a recent issue of the Sunday Maga- 
zine entitled "The Stray Lamb," in which she sets forth the patience and gentleness of the 
Good Shepherd in dealing with the lost sheep he brings back to the fold. Surely we ought 
to follow his example in that respect. The poet sings : 

"Out in the night the lamb that wandered wide 
Heard faint and far the Shepherd's loving cry. 
In the gray dawn, upon the bleak hillside, 
He found it, like to die. 

"Did He at all reproach thee, little lamb, 

That thou hadst brought Him such a weary way? 
Nay, He caressed me, but I know I am 
No more to go astray. 

"For up the steep ways where my feet would slip, 

He bore me, clinging carefully, and yet 
Each rock He touched with foot or firm hand-grip 
With His warm blood was wet. 

"And tho He smiled and said no word of blame, 

That blood reproached me all the way we went. 
'Twas shed because I wandered, and with shame 
I do indeed repent." 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

THE INFLUENCE OF THE WORD. 435 

One of the woman missionaries at the Ecumenical Conference in New York related a 
little incident of her work in India which brings out clearly the wonderful power of the Bible 
over the hearts and minds of people under circumstances which would seem to be very dis- 
couraging. She said : 

'T want to tell you of a chiefs daughter in my district in India, who was induced to 
come to the primary school. She remained there for two years. When she came back to her 
native village she was asked what she had learned, and on expressing a promise to tell her 
people of what her teachings had consisted the whole village turned out that night to hear 
her. She knew only the Gospel of St. Mark, and to that vast assemblage of women she read 
the Word night by night, 

"They were so interested that they asked her to read it to them again, and she did so. 
This went on many times, and when, some time later, a missionary came into the district he 
found forty persons ready to receive the Gospel and to enter his class." 

THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS. 436 

The Scripture "Despise not the day of small things," finds many striking illustrations 
of its wisdom in modern life. One of the missionaries at the Ecumenical Conference told a 
story of Bishop Sargent of England, who, while home on a furlough, saw a curious box 
that a child had fashioned for herself and in which she had collected and stored up many 
missionary pennies. He Jtook this box back with him to India as an object lesson to the na- 
tives. He told them that if a child could do so much, they, even on an income of but 5 cents 
a day, could surely do something for themselves. A movement was started which in some 
years had its result in tJie building of a handsome church in this village entirely from the 
donations of the poor natives, and Bishop Sargent often referred with pride to thej fact that 
the foundation of the church had been laid by the little girl in England. 

VICTORY THROUGH STRUGGLE. 437 

Ada Negri in her poem entitled "Fate," brings out the lesson that many of the greatest 
and strongest conceptions of life are only born in an atmosphere of pain and struggle. One 
cannot afford to pay too great a price for happiness, for after all the purpose of life is not 
happiness but helpfulness. The poet's figure is very strong: 

"A figure, awful to behold, austere, 

Stood by my bed last night. 
The dagger at her side filled me with fear, 

Her eyes flashed down at me with scornful light. 
T am Misfortune. Hear, 

" Thou shrinking child, where'er thou mayest be 

I'll never leave thee — nay, 
Through thorns and flowers, to death I'll follow thee, 

Even in the void beyond near thee to stay.' 
I sobbed: 'Away, away!' 

178 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

"She firmly stayed, and from me would not go. 

She spoke : ' 'Tis thus decreed. 
Pale flower of the cypress, of the snow. 

Of crime and of the tomb, poor human weed, 

Above 'tis thus decreed.' 

"I rose and cried : 'But it is hope I crave 

To make my young days bright. 
In thrills of love exultingly to rave, 
I want the kiss of genius and of light ! — 
Oh, go, oh, go away!' 

"She spoke : 'He who creates in suffering's night 

Alone sees glory's day. 
'Tis pain that teaches thoughts their highest flight — 

For him who bravely fights is victory.' 
I slowly answered: 'Stay!'" 

THE NEW CONVERT'S STORY. 438 

No one can tell the story of Jesus Christ and his love quite so beautifully, and with 
such unique charm as the new convert. Mrs. J. Hudson Taylor brings this out in a beau- 
tiful story which also shows that the great work of Christian missions must after all be ac- 
complished through converted natives. Mrs. Taylor says : 

"The work of soul saving, gathering of converts from the heathen, is accomplished 
through the native Christian rather than through the missionary. Twelve years ago, when 
I first went to China, we were the first missionaries to visit the section we went to. There 
were twelve million women in the province, but not one Christian. There were a few Christ- 
ian men, but no women. 

The woman whom I had as an escort, this being made necessary by the etiquette of 
China, impressed me much. Her face was sad, and I gradually learned her story. She had 
not been allowed to speak to her husband for three years after marriage. She had given: 
birth to eight girls, and had only been permitted to keep two of them. After she had been 
with me four months, we started out on an evangelistic journey, and at one place in a barn 
we gathered the audiences and told them of Jesus. It was then that I learned the value of 
native women. 

One evening, as she was sitting beside me and I was exhausted, she drew my head 
down on her shoulder and told me to keep quiet and rest, while she told the audience the 
story of Calvary and of the Cross. It seemed to me that the story was never so beautiful 
and oh, the glory which shone from her face, and the audience was soon melted to tears, ani 
one and all renounced their heathen gods and adopted the religion of Christ." 

THE SWEETEST SONG. 439> 

The life is not wasted that has sufficient of hope, and faith, and love behind it that it is 
ever bubbling up a fountain of good cheer. Few people know how much good they do in 
the world by just keeping happy and trusting and cheerful, and thus bring the balm of 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

their trust in God and man to hearts haunted by the ghosts of doubt and fear. A. Downing 
has a little poem entitled "The Sweetest Song," which puts the thought in a beautiful way: 

"That song is sweetest, bravest, best, 

Which plucks the thistle-barb of care 
From a despondent brother's breast. 

And plants a sprig of heart's-ease there." 

KINDERGARTNERS AND ANGELS. 440 

Miss Isabella Thoburn, who established the first Christian kindergarten in Asia, in an 
address before the Ecumenical Conference on Foreign Missions brought out very clearly the 
great value of skill in trying to help humanity. Miss Thoburn said : 

"Women are beginning to be awakened to the fact that they are not in the world to be 
ministered unto, but to minister. Power is not manifest by the work we undertake, but by our 
success with our task and the power for the missionary task will be found in education. 
Love, which we often call the greatest thing in the world, can do less for suffering than skill. 
Of the kindergarten I feel as did Miss Wiggin, who said : "No one who has the opportunity 
to become a kindergartner will ever want to be an angel.' In our work in India we have 
found work for every faculty that we possess. We have had to make bricks without straw. 
As a result of our experience there I am free to say that it is a cruelty to send a worker 
there without a thorough preparation. We do a poor work if it does not inspire others to 
go and do likewise." 

GOD'S WILL. 441 

That God's will is the sweetest thing that can happen to any one of us is brought out in 
a bright comforting way by Maty Wheaton Lyon in her little poem, "God Knoweth Best :" 

"The gates of life swing either way, 
On noiseless hinges, night and day. 
One enters through the open door, 
One leaves us to return no more; 
And which is happier, which more blest, 
God knoweth best. 

"We greet with smiles the one who comes 
Like sunshine to our hearts and homes. 
And reach our longing hands with tears 
To him who, in his ripened years, 
Goes gladly to his heavenly rest; 
God knoweth best. 

"He guards the gates. We need not dread 
The path these little feet mus;t tread, 
Nor fear for him who for our sight 
Passed through them to the realms of light — 
Both in His loving care we rest; 
God knoweth best." 

180 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

A CAMPAIGN FOR LIBERTY. 44^ 

The greatest campaign for liberty ever carried on in this world is that which is sus- 
tained and supported by the Missionary Societies. It ought to be an inspiring thing for us 
in our own land of freedom to feel that through our missionary giving we have a part in 
setting men and women free on the other side of the globe. Miss Singh, a brilliant Indian, 
woman, who is a graduate of the Woman's College in Lucknow, said at the Ecumenical Con- 
ference : 

"It was my privilege a few days ago to visit Washington, and while there I walked out 
to Lincoln Park. The thing that most interested me there was the statue of your great Lin- 
coln, with the Emancipation Proclamation in one hand and the other hand resting on the 
head of a slave chfld. As I stood there looking at the representation of the man we all love 
the thought came to me that we women of the Orient should feel the same gratitude to you 
people here in America and to the people of England as do the colored people who wer*. 
given their freedom by Lincoln." 

UNEARNED HAPPINESS. 443 

President David Starr Jordan, in a recent article points out that it is the "pursuit of hap- 
piness" and not happiness unearned which our fathers fought for. Many people are trying 
to get happiness without paying for it. For instance, the indolent lazy man would like to 
have the pleasure of rest, without the toil and effort that justifies rest, and makes it wel- 
come. Indolent rich people fail of happiness just as surely as indolent poor people, and for 
the same reason. They have not earned happiness. Dr. Jordan closes his striking article 
with these strong sentences: 

"In the hotbed of modern society there is a tendency to precocious growth. Precocious 
virtue is bad enough; but precocious vice is most monstrous. What is worth having must 
bide its time. The children on our streets grow old before their time. There is no fate more 
horrible because there is none more hopeless. Were it not for the influx of new life from 
the farms, our cities would be depopulated. Strive as we may we can not save our children 
from the corrosion of vulgarity and obscene suggestion. The subtle incitement to vice 
comes to every home. Its effort is shown in precocious knowledge, the loss of the bloom of 
youth, the quest for pleasures unearned because sought for out of time. Vulgarity has in 
some measure its foundation in precocity. It is an expression of arrested development in 
matters of good taste or good character. We find the corrosion of vulgarity everywhere and 
its poison enters every home. The streets of our cities are covered with its evidences, our 
newspapers are redolent with it, our story-books reek with it, our schools are tainted by it, 
and we can not keep it out of our homes or our churches or our colleges. It is the hope of 
civilization that our republic may outgrow the toleration of vulgarity, but we have a long 
struggle before us before this can be done." 

GLORY OF YOUTH. 444 

There is a charm about the things that are young; there is a mystery, a hidden force, 

that glorifies boyhood and brings us all into touch with the "Our Tommy" of Maybelle 

Qapp's little poem: 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

"If you meet a little barefooted lad, 

Whistlins: a tune that is merry and glad, 

With an old straw hat pushed back on his head, 

With his lips all stained with the strawberries red 

That grow on the five-acre lot, with eyes 

That are blue as the bluest of April skies. 

With a mite of a nose that is upward turned. 

And cheeks by the sun's fierce kisses burned, — 

That's Tommy. 

If you want to know where the Mayflowers hide 
'Neath the dry, dead leaves in the glad spring-tide, 
Where the violets dance 'neath the pine-tree brown, 
Or Jack Frost shakes the first chestnuts down, 
Where the trout bite best, or thei wild grapes grow 
In purple clusters hanging low, 
Where the coast is longest, the ice most clear, 
When the happy holiday time draws near, — 

Ask Tommy. 

"With hands thrust deep in his pockets small. 
He trudges away when the cow-bells call ; 
Father's 'right-hand man' he is called at home, 
Though he'll not be eight till the snowflakes come. 
And mother smiles over the work that would be 
Both hard and wearisome, were not he 
Ready and willing on errands to run 
From the peep of the dawn to the set of the sun, — 

Dear Tommy. 

When the wood-birds are crooning a low good night, 

And the hay-cocks have put on their night-caps white, 

When the purple shadows enfold the hills. 

And down in the meadows the whippoorwills 

Lift up their voices, a tired boy 

Creeps into the arms that know no joy 

Like holding him, and fond lips press 

The tangled curls, as they say, 'God bless 

Our Tommy !' " 

UNGATHERED DIAMONDS. 445 

While it is generally admitted that there are more diamonds in Brazil than in South 
Africa, and that the South American diamonds are far more beautiful than those found at 
Kimberley, yet while the diamond mines at Kimberley have been producing eighteen millioD 
dollars worth of gems a year, the industry in Brazil, where diamond mining has gone on for 
a hundred and fifty years, and which was formerly the most important diamond-producing 
country in the world, has fallen to so low an ebb that its product is not worth annually more 
than two hundred thousand dollars. The great reason for this decline is said to be in the 
fact that diamond mining in South America is carried on in a shiftless, indolent sort of a 
way. How many ungathered diamonds there are in the wide fields of human life. Many a 

182 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

man, and many a woman, whose mind and heart God made to be a diamond field with rare 
possibilities has amounted to nothing, because of the shiftless way in which the duties of life 
have been faced. Men and women count in this world far more merely in proportion to their 
energy, and their devotion to their duty, than in proportion to their natural talent and ability. 



WHEN JESUS CAME. 446 

John Keble brings out in a very beautiful poem the compassion and tenderness of Jesus 
in visiting the disciples again that he may convince Thomas of his resurrection. Poor doubt- 
ing Thomas, who was absent from the first meeting of Christ and his disciples! No other 
scene between Christ and His disciples brings out in bolder relief the gracious forbearance 
and love of Jesus Christ. Keble's poem tells us to view it from Thomas's standpoint: 

"We were not by when Jesus came; 

But round us, far and near. 
We see His trophies, and His name 

In choral echoes hear. 
In a fair ground our lot is cast, 
As in the solemn week that past, 
While some might doubt, but all adored, 
Ere the whole widow'd Church had seen her risen Lord. 

"Then gliding through th' unopening door, 

Smooth without step or sound, 
*Peace to your souls,' He said — no more — 

They own Him, kneeling round. 
Eye, ear, and hand, and loving heart. 
Body and soul in every part, 
Successive made His witnesses that hour, 
Cease not in all the world to show His serving power. 

"Is there, on earth, a spirit frail, 

Who fears to take their word. 
Scarce daring, through the twilight pale. 

To think He sees the Lord? 
With eyes too tremblingly awake 
To bear with dimness for His sake? 
Read and confess the Hand Divine 
That drew thy likeness here so true in every line. 

"For all thy rankling doubts so sore, 

Love thou thy Saviour still, 
Him for thy Lord and God adore. 

And ever do His will. 
Though vexing thoughts may seem to last, 
Let not thy soul be quite o'ercast ; 
Soon will He show thee all His wounds and say, 
Long have I known thy name — know thou My face alway. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

CLEANING UP PATRIOTISM. 447 

The war between the British and the Boers has developed a new business in London, and 
at different places the visitor of the London of today may see hanging the sign, "Flags 
cleaned here." On the breaking out of the war a great many London householders awoke 
to the fact that not only had they the symbols of patriotism in their possession, but that 
this was the time to bring them out again. Many of the flags had not been out for many 
years ; scores of them not since the Crimean war. It is to be feared that these hidden flags 
are suggestive of a lack of patriotism and public spirit on the part of their owners, and that 
England is not the only country where the dust is often permitted to gather on the pariotism 
of the citizen. The truly patriotic man would have had his flag out every Queen's birthday, 
and on other appropriate occasions, and thus have kept it fresh. I fear some Christian 
soldiers air their devotion to Christ very infrequently, and require some unusual emergency 
to cause them to fly the flag of loyalty to the Savior. Jesus said that we ought to keep our 
lights trimmed and burning, and live constantly as those who "watch for their Lord. 

GOING ABOUT DOING GOOD. 448 

James Learmount writing of the Master's going about doing good, among the sick, and 
the poor, and the weak, and the possibility of our brightening the world by following his 
example, gives us some very sweet lines : 

"Every gentle deed you do 
One bright spirit brings to you — 
One more angel watch to keep 
By your pillow while you sleep, 
Softer makes the wind's weird song 
Through the pine trees all night long. 
Clearer makes the white stars gleam 

While you dream. 

While you dream. 

Every gentle word you say 
One dark spirit drives away, 
Makes the clover in the grass 
Whisper greeting as you pass, 
Swifter makes the cloud-ships fly 
In their march across the sky, 
Daintier makes each frosted flake 

When you wake. 

When you wake. 

CHRIST DIED FOR ME. 449 

We never will love Christ as we ought except when we look upon his cross and feel 
that he hangs there for us. It is that personal element which will bring out the depth of 
our love. General Secretary Baer, speaking at the Ecumenical Conference on Foreign Mis- 
sions, closed his address by telling a story of a Scotch mother who had scaled the outside 
of her burning house and rescued her eight months' old girl. She was terribly burned and 

184 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

years afterward the little girl asked her why she always wore gloves. The mother thought 
for awhile, and then showed her the hand. The child shrank back in terror, but the mother 
told the story, and the Httle one kissed the poor disfigured member and came crying to the 
mother's lap saying: "This for me! This for me!" 

A MOUNTAIN MIRROR. 450 

Some missionaries exploring a district which contains many of the waters of the upper 
Congo approached a mountain which they learned was exceedingly rich in iron ore. They 
spent several days in the neighborhood, and each evening the mountain was illumined in a 
wonderful manner under the influence of the rays of the setting sun. One evening, after a 
day of rain that had washed all the dust from the mountain side, the brilliancy of the reflec- 
tion was so much greater than usual that one of the explorers decided to seek the exact cause 
of the phenomenon. So at sunrise next morning he began the; difficult task of scaling the 
steep slope of this mountain of iron. He finally reached the highest peak, nearly seven 
thousand feet above the sea level, and there he found a great rock whose side, turned toward 
the western sun, was as polished and bright as a mirror and shone like burnished steel. It 
seemed to be a block of almost pure metal. This shining surface contained several hundred 
square feet and fully explained the remarkable refraction of the solar rays. The explana- 
tion of the increased brilliancy on that particular day was that the rain washed away all par- 
ticles that bedimmed the polished surface and left it a fine natural mirror where the falling 
beams of light were launched again far out over the plain with dazzling effect. We are in- 
tended to reflect the light of the Son of Righteousness, but the least particle of insincerity, or 
selfishness, or worldliness of any kind will serve to hide and drown that light. It is only when 
we live with perfectly clean heart, and clean lives, that we are able to give a perfect reflection 
of the glorious light of Christ. 



THE ONE COLOSSAL FIGURE IN HISTORY. 451 

Ex-Senator John J. Ingalls recently declared Jesus Christ to be the one colossal figure 
of human history. Caesar and Herod and Pilate, the kings, conquerors and philosophers 
of that day, are, he says, only names. No one cares that they lived or died, but Christ 
remains the living and most potential force in modern society. When he announced the 
fatherhood of God, and the brotherhood of man, and the immeasurable value of the hum- 
blest human soul, he made kings and despots and tyrants impossible. He laid the founda- 
tion of democratic self-government and the sovereignty of the people. From his teachings 
have come the emancipation of childhood, the elevation of woman, and our rich and splen- 
did heritage of religious, civil and constitutional liberty. Indeed, says Mr. Ingalls, without 
disparaging Confucius, Buddha, or Mahomet, it is safe to assert that through Christianity 
alone has civilization come into the world. On the continued activity of its benificent forces 
we must depend for its preservation; for the completion of man's conquest over nature; for 
the realization of the dreams of the universal republic. 

185 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

THE LENGTH OF THE DEVIL'S CHAIN. 452 

There is a limit set to the possibilities of evil in this world; God is stronger than the 
devil. In the long struggle good shall overcome evil. The man who does the right, keeps 
his hands clean and his heart pure, may know that the God who set the limit beyond which 
the devil could not go in his temptation of Job, will not let him tempt us more than we are 
able to bear. Anna D. Walker sings the message with graphic figure and graceful lines 
under the title "A Boundary Set." 

Sweet comfort with this truth is fraught, 

A boundary to the sea is set: 
The sea that oft has raged and fought 

With all its power, beyond to get, — 
And dashed its waves with foam and crest, 

But still was held with high behest. 
It could not go beyond the line, 
Because 'twas set by hand Divine. 

The Lord on high has said, thus far ! 

The sea it hears and hurries back; 
It can not go beyond the bar, 

It can not leave its wonted track. 
The Lord the mandate has sent forth, 

The waters hear, — the south, the north. 
And east and west each knows the line 
That has been set by hand Divine. 

L- - ■ 

A sea of trouble rises high, 

The waves they dash and foam and roll; 
All dark and lowering is the sky. 

And fear sits dominant in the soul. 
But what is this dispels the gloom. 

And gives a cheerful courage room? 
A truth we never can forget, 
A boundary to this sea is set. 

The wicked rise in power and might 

To cause the good man's overthrow, 
But tho they rage and foam and fight. 

Beyond God's word they can not go. 
Lie still and safe, thou trembling soul; 

The Lord still holds them in control. 
This lesson learn nor e'er forget, 
A boundary to this sea is set. 

Behold the sea, survey the land 

That doth the raging water's bar, — 
A belt of ever-shifting sand. 

But God Himself has said, thus far! 
With feet upon the bleaching shore, 

Above the billows and the roar, 
The lesson learn, all sweet to thee, 
God sets a boundary to the sea. 

i86 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

VIOLET KILLERS. 453 

American violet growers are disturbed over the appearance in considerable numbers of 
a dangerous fly Mrhich attacks the fragrant violet and destroys the plant if its ravages are 
not quicRly checked. European florists have for many years had a war on their hands 
against violet pests, but it is only within a few years that the American grower has been 
troubled in this way. The American violet destroyer is of the same family as the European, 
but of a different genus. It works in the same way, secreting itself in the crown of the 
plant. There are moral and spiritual violet-killers as well. A fretful spirit, a habit of 
melancholy, a gloomy countenance, a pettish temper; how many violets intended to make 
the home fragrant and the heart brave and strong are murdered by these gall flies of the 
higher realm ! Vagrant pests, they are from beneath, and fly up into the air never intended 
for them. 

SPIRITUAL INSIGHT. . 454 

We often excuse ourselves for the thoughtless and indifferent act, or the hard, cold 
words that cut like a knife, that we did not intend to give pain or be indifferent to the sor- 
rows of others, and that if we had only known we would have acted differently. We ought 
to acquire carefulness in seeking to know the condition of others, and it is possible for us 
to grow in spiritual insight by living in sympathetic touch with Jesus Christ. Jesus "knew 
what was in man," because his own heart was in perfect sympathy, and in a loving attitude 
of helpfulness toward every human heart. If we will seek to live in His spirit I am sure 
Genesee Richardson's little poem "If we Knew," will not so often be a rebuke to us : 

There are gems of wondrous brightness 

Ofttimes lying at our feet, 
And we pass them, walking thoughtless 

Down the busy, crowded street ; 
If we knew, our pace would slacken — 

We would step more oft with care. 
Lest our careless feet be treading 

To the earth some jewel rare. 

If we knew what hearts are aching 

For the comfort we might bring; 
If we knew what souls are yearning 

For the sunshine we might fling; 
If we knew what feet are weary, 

Walking pathways roughly laid; 
We would quickly hasten forward. 

Stretching forth our hands to aid. 

If we knew what friends around us 

Feel a want they never tell — 
That some word that we have spoken 

Pained or wounded where it fell. 
We would speak in accents tender 

To each friend we chanced to meet, 
We would give to each one freely 

Smiles of sympathy so sweet. 

187 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

SLEEPING ON DUTY. 455 

One of the saddest accidents that has occurred for a long time was that which trans- 
pired in Philadelphia recently, where a sleepy telegraph operator through failure to do 
his duty was the cause of seven people being burned to death. He was the operator in 
charge of the tower signal station. When he surrendered himself to the officers he said, **I 
did it. I was asleep or dozing j, why I cannot say. I have no excuse to offer." It is a ter- 
rible thing to sleep on duty. But it is a danger which does not belong alone to men who 
work on railroads. It should arouse the preacher, the Sunday-school teacher, the father or 
mother, and the many other people whom God has set in signal towers, small or great, to 
watch over human lives. God help us that we may not sleep on guard. 

LOOK FORWARD, NOT BACK. 456 

One of the strongest things ever said by Paul was when he said, "Forgetting the things 
which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward 
the goal, unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." I like that phrase 
"stretching forward" which the revisers of the New Testament have brought into the in- 
terpretation. The figure is striking, and in harmony with Paul's spirit. Some unknown poet 
expresses the thought in a way which ought to both comfort and inspire us. The mes- 
sage is to not permit the past to despoil the future : 

The past is o'er — 
Waste not thy days in vain regret, 
Grieve thou no more. 

Look now before, 
And not behind thee; do not fret — 
The past is o'er. 

Thy pain is sore 
And thou hast cause for sorrow, yet 
Grieve thou no more. 

Close memory's door; 
That day is dead, that sun has set — 
The past is o'er. 

There are in store 
For thee still happy days. Forget! 
Grieve thou no more. 

Smile as of yore — 
No longer let thine eyes be wet. 
The past is o'er. 
Grieve thou no more ! 

HASTE TO THE RESCUE. 457 

In a railroad wreck in Pennsylvania not long since, caused by a passenger train collid- 
ing with a stalled gravel train in a deep cut between withering forest fires, a woman per- 
formed an act of heroism which has won great praise. She ran back a mile from the scene 

i88 



FISHERS OF MEN, 

of the wreck, groping most of the way through the smoke and the flames, to get aid. She 
found a live engine and got cars and hastened to the scene of the wreck and saved the fire 
encompassed passengers. Christians need that same spirit in efforts to save the world of 
sinners about them. We ought to haste to the rescue. Men and women who are girdled 
about by fires of passion and wicked habit, are in fearful danger, and we ought to run to 
their relief. Earnestness, deep, tender, undying earnestness, is the spirit which ought to 
inspire us. 

THE BLESSING OF HOPE. 458 

That is a bright saying of Paul's, "We are saved by hope." It is always wise to add up 
our hopes; they will put a silver lining into the darkest cloud, and give us a foretaste of 
"The good time coming." Some one sings: 

Sing o' the "good time coming" — 

Fancy you hear its drums. 
And life'll be all the sweeter 

If ever the good time comes ! 

Sin^ o' the "good time coming" — 

Sing while the night comes on. 
And life'll be all the brighter 

For dreaming the day would dawn ! 

Sing o' the "good time coming" — 

On a glad and golden wing. 
And life will move in music 

For dreaming the joy-bells ring! 

Somewhere the good time's marching 

With the rippling flags and drums; 
But, sing — and the world will blossom 

If ever the good time comes! 

SELF COMPOSURE. 459 

"Wonder if Taylor will stumble in his speech," observed one of the committee on 

elections, just before the opening session when the member from Ohio was to open the fight 

against the seating of Roberts of Utah. "A nervous delivery will weaken his arguments." 

"Beggin' youah pahdon, Honorable Mistah C , sah," interposed his waiter, with the 

deferential liberty of a three terms' service upon this same M. C. "Mistah Taylor won't 
be nervious, sah. He's just lunched, sah, on some rare roast beef, mashed potatoes, and 
buttahmilk, sah, and his appetite was quite unlistuhbed, sah; quite undistuhbed !" It is a 
great thing to be master of one's self. The man who masters himself can master other 
people. What a marvelous deliverance it is when Christ frees us from the tyrannical pas- 
sions and habits of evil, and makes us to be king or queen in the domain of our own na- 
ture. 

CHRIST AT THE HEART'S DOOR. 460 

Some poet, whose name I do not know, has painted a graphic picture of the man who 
is conscious that Christ is knocking at the door of the heart, and yet is held back from 
opening to his Lord by some strange lethargy which he cannot himself describe: 

189 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

St. Peter once: "Lord, dost Thou wash my feet?" 

Much more I say: "Lord, dost Thou stand and knock 

At my closed heart more rugged than a rock, 
Bolted and barred, for Thy soft touch unmeet, 
Nor garnished nor in any wise made sweet? 

Owls roost within and dancing satyrs mock. 

Lord, I have heard the crowing of the cock, 
And have not wept: ah, Lord, Thou knowest it. 
Yet still I hear Thee knocking. Still I hear: 

"Open to Me, look on Me eye to eye 

That I may wring thy heart and make it whole; 
And teach thee love because I hold thee dear. 

And sup with thee in gladness soul with soul, 

And sup with thee in glory by and by." 

AN ACTIVE RELIGION. 461 

Wu Ting Fang, the Chinese minister to the United States, in a recent newspaper 
article acknowledges that Christ establishes a higher ideal of conduct than Confucius. He 
says that Jesus goes a little farther than Confucius in this that he requires his followers 
to do good to them who use them despitefully, and to turn the other cheek when smitten. 
Confucius says: "Requite justice with justice, favors with favors." Mr. Wu Ting Fang 
continues to say that in his judgment Christianity owes most of its converts in China to 
the fact, that it is more alluring than any religion than they have there. The idea of a fu- 
ture life and rewards for the righteous attract the hearts of the people. Confucius teaches 
no such doctrine. He was once asked if he believed in a future life, and he answered: "If 
I don't know what will take place to-morrow, how can I know anything about a remote 
future?" But Jesus Christ who did know what would take place on the morrow, could say 
to His disciples with joyous confidence, "In my Father's house are many mansions." 

DOING OUR PART. 462 

It is a glorious thing that Christ calls us not to be weaklings, but strong soldiers to 
fight in fellowship with him for the redemption of mankind. It is only by such struggle 
that we may know the true greatness of life. Some poet sings : 

Long since, in sore distress, I heard one pray, 
"Lord, who prevailest with resistless might, 

Ever from war and strife keep me away; 
My battles fight!" 

I am sure that every noble soul will turn from such a coward plea and join with the 
poet in his nobler prayer: 

I do not ask that thou shalt front the fray, 

And drive the warring foeman from my sight: 
I only ask, O Lord, by night, by day, 
Strength for the fight! 

igo 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

When foes upon me press, let me not quail, 
Nor think to turn me into coward flight, 
I only ask, to make mine arms prevail, 
Strength for the fight ! 

Still let mine eyes look ever on the foe, 

Still let mine armor case me strong and bright; 
And grant me, as I deal each righteous blow. 
Strength for the fight. 

And when, at eventide, the fray is done. 

My soul to Death's bed-chamber do thou light. 
And give me, be the field or lost or won, 
Rest from the fight ! 

PUTTING OURSELVES INTO DANGER. 463 

A strange lawsuit has just been decided in England. A man visiting a show, found a 
stable door open and went in and stroked the zebra, whereupon the ungrateful beast let out 
with his heels, and kicked him through a partition into another stall, where another zebra 
bit his hand so cruelly that it had to be amputated. The question was whether he could 
recover damages from the zebra's owner? A jury thought he could, but the Court of Ap- 
peals decided not. The learned judges declared that a zebra is legally a wild animal. Now 
a man's duty with regard to a wild beast is to keep it secured, so that it may not go about 
seeking whom it may devour, and this zebra was secured. True, the door was casually left 
open, and if the visitor had merely gone in and been kicked, he might have recovered 
damages; but he invited his kicking by stroking the zebra. How many people there are 
who fall into sin the same way. They pray in the morning, "Lead me not into temptation," 
and then they go carelessly wandering around into the devil's stables, ready to stroke any 
curious zebra of sin they can find. If we do our duty and keep ourselves out of the way of 
evil the promise is that no trial shall come upon us from which we may not safely es- 
cape. 

MEETING OUR LOVED ONES. 464 

How close it brings Christ to us when we hear him praying "Father, I will that they 
also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am." As we get older, or as 
through failing health we draw close to the end of the journey of life on earth, how strong 
is the longing to be sure that we shall meet our loved ones again in heaven! Nothing is 
sweeter than the promises we have of that cheering fact. Mrs. Farningham sings of that 
great longing and of our blessed hop^e in Christ, in a way to strengthen our hearts. She 
says: 

I am pressing on to the slippery shore 

With my sore and weary feet. 
But a little while and I hope to stand 
At the edge of the golden street. 
But I pray this prayer from amid the deep — 

O Saviour of sinners, bring 
Those whom I love to abide with me 
In the presence of the King ! 
191 



FRESB BAIT FOR 

There are warm young hearts in the household band; 

There are brightly beaming eyes; 
There are voices sweet that I fain would hear 

'Mid the anthems of the skies. 
Thou knowest, O Jesus, how closely here 

The bonds of love entwine; 
I count them o'er in the gloaming hour, 

And remember these words of Thine. 

There are trembling fingers and silvery hairs, 

And eyes that are growing dim. 
And voices less strong than in days of yore, 

Swelling the evening hymn. 
I would not miss them at home in heaven; 

O Jesus, who gave them me, 
May I have them again in the land of peace, 

In the home by the glassy sea? 

When the golden crowns at Thy feet are cast. 

May they be among the band ; 
When the hymn is swelling o'er heavenly hills, 

Let them with the harpers stand. 
It cannot be that the dearest ones 

Shall depart in the day of strife; 
It cannot be that the loves of earth 

Shall die in the day of life. 

I would that my dear ones might all be brought 

To the feet of the Crucified; 
Might be carried to Him when borne away 

By the coldly rolling tide. 
But man is weak, although love be strong, 

And I can but look to Thee, 
And pray as Thou prayedst in Thine agony. 

Oh, give them again to me ! 

A NOVELIST'S LADDER. 465 

One of the most interesting literary stories told lately is concerning Gabriele d' An- 
nunzio, the novelist, whose method of working is as original as his work itself. A stu- 
dent and at the same time a man of the world, he resolutely abandons pleasure at certain 
seasons and devotes himself wholly to literary work. That nothing may disturb him, he 
goes to the country house of his friend, Michetti, the painter, and there in a large room, 
he labors strenuously over his romances. No staircase leads to this room, neither has it 
any door. In the morning a ladder is placed against the window, and D'Annunzio climbs 
up and thus reaches his desk. Thereupon the ladder is removed by Michetti, and the 
novelist works at his ease until noon, when his friend climbs up to him with a light lunch- 
eon. The entire afternoon is also devoted to work, and not until evening does D'Annunzio 
descend the ladder. He then joins Michetti in a short walk, after which the two friends 
chat together until late in the night. In this way D'Annunzio forces himself to work stead- 
ily, for^ no matter how much he may be tempted to wander away and enjoy himself in so- 

192 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

clety, the absence of stairs and of the ladder during his working hours renders it impossible 
for him to escape from his temporary prison. Several of his romances have been written 
under such conditions, and their success has been so great that the author is becoming 
yearly more attached to the large and cloistral room in his friend's country house. That 
is very interesting and serves the purpose very well, but after all it would be suggestive of 
a stronger manhood if the novelist's ladder was in his own strong will that could send him 
to his work without making himself a prisoner. It is better to have a ladder and some one 
to carry it away from our window than to fail to do work waiting for us to do, but it is 
grander to be through Christ's fellowship master in our own spirit so that we do not 
need such devices. 

PRESSING TOWARD THE GOAL. 466 

How inspiring it is, in the midst of the hardships and sacrifices of this life, to picture 
the glories of that day of triumph when with all the battles fought, and the victories won, 
we shall stand in Zion and before our King, and receive his gracious welcome. It has been 
a favorite theme with the poets, but few of them have sung of it with more feeling and 
discrimination than the Rev. Denis Wortman in his "Reliques of the Christ." He sings : 

There is a city great and strong, 

Twelve gates of precious stones. 
With turrets and high battlements. 

Not needing light of suns; 
The streets aglow with fire of gold, 

It hath no sound of strife; 
In glory all its own it stands 

Beside the stream of life. 

A joy is there that knows no cry, 

A light that ne'er grows dim; 
A multitude that never cease 

From grateful praise and hymn, 
So all the sainted sons of earth. 

And angels there I view ; 
And there, O vision glorious. 

There standeth Jesus, too. 

Jesus. I know 'tis He: I see 

The mark of nail and spear, 
And on his face I catch the trace 

Of _earth-time smile and tear; 
But on his brow a crown shines now. 

And bending hosts adore! 
*Tis He, 'tis He who on the tree 

The thorn crown meekly wore! 

O wondrous fair Jerusalem, 

Shall I thy gates pass through? 
Thy jubilations surely join. 

Thy lordly splendors view 
O Crucified, O Glorified, 

Shall I Thy face behold. 
And join the ransomed as they sing 

Along the streets of gold? 

^93 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

O crowns and thrones and sapphires, 

Ye glisten in the light! 
Ye can not flash too far your joy, 

Ye can not blaze too bright; 
And some day God shall bid me dwell 

Where the great visions shine; 
The sight of the Lord and all He is 

Shall be the world's and mine. 

SEEING OURSELVES AS OTHERS SEE US. 467 

An amusing story is being told in Europe about David Col, the Antwerp painter, who 
died recently. As he was at work in his studio one day many years ago there entered a 
farmer, who requested him to paint his father's portrait. The artist, not being over bur- 
dened with wealth at that time, gladly agreed to do the work, and said that he would be 
pleased to see the old gentleman at any time. Thereupon the farmer said, mournfully, "Oh, 
you can't see him, sir, for he's dead." "Then how on earth do you expect me to paint his 
portrait?" asked the artist. "Oh, you are fooling me, sir," said the farmer. "Just tell me 
whose picture that is on the easel there." "That is a portrait of St. Anthony," was the 
answer. "Is that really St. Anthony?" "Yes." "Did he sit to you?" "Of course not." 
"Well, then, isn't that a clear proof that you are able to make the portrait of a dead man?" 
Col, who wanted money badly, allowed himself to be persuaded by this novel argument, 
and, therefore, he obtained from the farmer as many particulars about the dead man as he 
could, and then after making a sketch of the son, because he said that he closely resembled 
his father, he began work on the portrait. When it was finished it was simply an older 
portrait of the man who had ordered it. He sent for the farmer and showed it to him. To 
his surprise the man fell on his knees and began to cry bitterly, his eyes meanwhile fixed 
on the portrait. Col flattered himself that he had made a life-like portrait, and that it was 
the wonderful resemblance which caused the son to grieve so sorely. "Why do you cry 
sc much?" he asked, trying to comfort him. "Oh, my dear sir," was the unexpected reply, 
"1 never thought that anyone could change so in such a short time. Dear me, how terribly 
ugly my poor father has become." It behooves us all to live in humility of spirit, for if we 
could see ourselves as others see us we may be very sure that much of our pride would 
vanish into thin air. 

LIFE'S BEST. 468 

The best things life has for us are not to be found amid the sharp competitions of the 
market place, neither in the deadly strife for fame and position. But the sweetest bless- 
ings God gives us, whether we be rich or poor, is in the fellowship and love of true hearts 
that hold us dear. Hattie Griswold sings it very clearly in these lines: 

Far back amid the days of long ago 

I dreamed of power, and again of fame; 

I would write large upon Time's scroll my name ; 
For strength to rule, I would all else forego. 
The world had needs, and I would fain bestow 

My all upon it: all my soul aflame 

For love of the world's work, and its acclaim 
I plunged breast deep into its toil, its woe. 

194- 



FISHERS OF MEN, 

Now from life's afternoon I calmly gaze 

On what was done and what was left undone, 

And count the last returns that life has made. 
I hold them — the delight of quiet days, 

The rapture of the setting of the sun, 

The love of friends, constant in sun and shade. 

COURAGE OF GREAT SOULS. 469 

Thomas F. Prendle, for thirty-five years a doorkeeper at the Executive Mansion, used 
frequently to accompany President Lincoln on his walks about Washington, and has many 
interesting things to tell of that great man, whom he believes to have been one of the 
bravest men the w^^-ld has ever known. On one occasion Prendle was walking with the 
President down a flight of steps at the Navy Department, when they came suddenly upon 
a man who was evidently endeavoring to hide himself in a dark corner at the bottom of 
the staircase. Observing the stranger and fearing he meant harm to the President, Prendle 
endeavored to place his body in a position to protect his companion. Mr. Lincoln, how- 
ever, brave and fearless as always, stepped forward and closely scrutinized the man who 
fan rapidly up the steps and, turning squarely around when he reached the top, looked 
down upon the President, who did not falter, but continued to gaze sharply at him. On 
their return to the White House Mr. Lincoln said, quite calmly, "Prendle, do you know I 
received a letter last nigh, warning me against a man who exactly answers the description 
of that man we met on the steps?" All the greatest souls have been brave and courageous. 
Courage may be cultivated but not in any frivolous way. It can only be developed by be- 
coming large in soul through realizing that our lives are in the hands of God and through 
the consciousness that our conduct is pleasing to him. 

OF WHOM THE WORLD WAS NOT WORTHY, 470 

That is a very significant saying of Paul's in that great roll call of the "heroes of the 
faith" in the Eleventh chapter of Hebrews, where the great Apostle tells of some of the 
heroic deeds of unnamed saints and heroes, saying of them, "Of whom the world was not 
worthy." There are many such saints and heroes in our own time ; men and women who 
live quiet unheralded lives, and who walk in the byways of life, but the beauty and frag- 
rance of their characters, and the helpfulness of their spirit, mark them as the brothers 
and sisters of Jesus Christ. They are not lost; heaven keeps track of them, and they shall 
have their day of glory by and by. Sir Edwin Arnold sings of them in strong lines : 

They have no place in storied page, 

No rest in marble shrine; 
They are past and gone with a perished age, 

They died, and "made no sign." 
But work that shall find its wages yet, 
And deeds that their God did not forget — 

Done for their love divine — 
These were their mourners, and these shall be 
The crowns of their immortality. 

^93 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

Oh, seek them not where sleep the dead, 

Ye shall not find their trace ; 
No graven stone is at their head, 

No green grass hides their face. 
But sad and unseen is their silent grave — 
It may be the sand or the deep sea wave 

Or a lonely desert place; 
For they need no prayers and no mourning bell, 
They were tombed in true hearts that knew them well. 

They healed sick hearts till theirs were broken, 

And dried sad eyes till theirs lost light; 
We shall know at last by a certain token 

How they fought and fell in the fight. 
Salt tears in sorrow unbeheld. 
Passionate cries unchronicled, 

And silent strifes for the right — 
Angels shall count them, and earth shall sigh 
That she left her best children to battle and die. 

GOD KEEPING FAITH WITH HIS CHILDREN. 471' 

Ex-Senator John J. Ingalls writing recently on "The Immortality of the Soul," relates 
how many years ago he heard a distinguished American orator deliver a lecture upon the 
evidences of immortality outside the Bible. In the stress and pressure of the closing days 
of a short session of Congress he held the rapt and breathless attention of an immense 
audience, comprising all that was most cultured, brilliant and renowned in the social and 
official life of the Capital. He dwelt with remarkable effectiveness and power upon the 
fact that nowhere in nature, from the highest to the lowest, was an instinct, an impulse, a 
desire implanted, but that ultimately were found the conditions and the opportunities for 
its fullest realization. He instanced the wild fowl that, moved by some mysterious im- 
pulse, start on their prodigious migrations from the frozen fens of the pole and reach at 
last the shining south and the Summer seas; the fish that from tropic gulfs seek their 
spawning grounds in the cool, bright rivers of the north ; the bees that find in the garniture 
of fields and forests the treasure with which they store their cells, and even the wolf, the 
lion and the tiger that are provided with their prey. Turning to humanity, he alluded to 
the brevity of life ; its incompleteness ; its aimless, random and fragmentary careers ; its 
tragedies, its injustice, its sorrows and separations. Then he referred to the insatiable 
hunger for knowledge; the efforts of the unconquerable mind to penetrate the mysteries of 
the future ; its capacity to comprehend infinity and eternity ; its desire for the companionship 
of the departed; its unquenchable aspirations for immortality, and he asked, "Why should 
God keep faith with the beast, the bee, the fish and the fowl, and cheat man?" 

THE MEANING OF THE FLAG. 472 

H. H. Bennett in a little poem entitled "The Flag Goes By," sings of the meaning of 
the National Banner in a way that will do us all good: 

ig6 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

Hats off! 

Along the street there comes 

A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums, 

A flash of color beneath the sky; 

Hats off! 

The flag is passing by! 

Blue and crimson and white it shines, 

Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines, 

Hats off! 

The colors before us fly; 

But more than the flag is passing by. 

Sea fights and land fights, grim and great. 
Fought to make and to save the state! 
Weary marches and sinking ships; 
Cheers of victory on dying lips; 

Days of plenty and days of peace ; ' 

March of a strong land's swift increase; 
Equal justice, right and law, 
Stately honor and reverend awe ; 

Sign of a nation, great and strong 

Toward her people from foreign wrong; 

Pride and glory and honor, all 

Live in the colors to stand or fall. . 

Hats off! 

Along the street there comes 

A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums ; 

And loval hearts are beating high ; 

Hats off! 

The flag is passing by ! 

THE EFFECTS OF KINDNESS. 473 

There is an old man who makes a visit to Prospect Park, Brooklyn, every fine morn- 
ing during the summer, and spends an hour or two feeding birds and squirrels with bread 
crumbs which he brings in his pocket. He is a kindly-faced, white-haired old man, and all 
the birds and squirrels know him and run or fly to meet him whenever he comes in sight. 
They go right up to him and take the crumbs from his hand. A policeman speaking about 
it said : "Iv'e been in the park for twenty years and I don't know a bird or a squirrel, but 
he knows them all. It certainly beats me how he ever got acquainted." There is a wise 
saying in the book of Proverbs, which declares that if a man will have friends, "He must 
show himself friendly." It is kindness first in our hearts, then on our lips and at our finger 
tips which wins the affection not only of beasts and birds, but of men and women and 
children. 

THE TRAIL OF SLANDER. 474 

Somebody has written a little poem which perhaps will never be a classic, and yet it 
tells with wondrous truth the way a slander false and devilish, that blights it may be more 
than one life, and causes the loss of an immortal soul, may start in a silly gossip and roll 

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along its way without anybody fully appreciating the wickedness of their own part in it. 
The title of the poem is ''How a Falsehood Grows." This is the way the poet describes it: 

First somebody told it, 

Then the room wouldn't hold it, 

So the busy tongues rolled it 

Till they got it outside; 
Then the crowd came across it, 
And never once lost it, 
But tossed it and tossed it, 

Till it grew long and wide. 

This lie brought forth others, 
Dark sisters and brothers, 
And fathers and mothers, 

A terrible crew ; 
And headlong the^ hurried 
The people they flurried 
And troubled and worried 

As lies always do. 

THE GREAT WRESTLING MATCH. 475 

Dr. George H. Hepworth speaking of the great struggle between good and evil in our 
hearts, says there is one class of emotions which a man should welcome as he does his tried 
and trusted friends — love, charity, kindliness. Under their influence his soul becomes symmet- 
rical and beautiful, as when a sculptor chips away the marble that is useless and brings to 
light the statue that was hidden within. And there ,is another class of emotions which lit- 
erally poison the blood and open the door wide for every possible ailment. They are the 
worst enemies of that poise and serenity which mark an ideal manhood — resentment, re- 
venge, ill temper and ill will — and to cherish them is fatal to happiness. They are the in- 
struments in the orchestra which are out of tune. They are the hairs in the watch, storm 
clouds in the sky, the miasm of the dank and dreary swamp. 

BRUISED FOR OUR INIQUITIES. 476 

Nothing else can make us feel as we ought toward Jesus Christ except to have a vision 
of him dying on the cross in our stead. Some poet sings of it : 

Think, oh, Jesus, for what reason. 
Thou endured earth's spite and treason; 
Nor me lose in this dread season; 
Seeking me Thy worn feet hasted. 
On the cross Thy soul death tasted; 
Let not all these toils be wasted. 

Think how near to dark perdition 
% I had wandered in delusion, 

Wandered, stained by sin's pollution; 
Look from heaven. Thy glorious mansion; 
See me weep in deep contrition^ 
Weep and yield Thee full submission. 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

A COSTLY SLEEP. 477 

A man who had taken too much wine with his dinjier, in Philadelphia, feeling in a very- 
good humor, wished to talk to a friend of his in Providence, Rhode Island. He went to 
the telephone in the hotel and told the young lady in charge that he wanted to speak to Mr. 
So-and-So in Providence, and wouldn't she kindly call up the party. The girl did as she 
was bade. "Party's on the 'phone," 'she said, and the man went into the telephone box, 
sat down and put the receiver to his ear. And then he calmly and sweetly dropped off to 
sleep. When he woke up he owed the telephone company $32.90. He said he wouldn't pay it 
— but he did. And yet there are many people that are doing the same kind of thing in mat- 
ters more important. They are living in daily opportunities of communion with heaven, 
and every day of lethargy and indifference causes loss beyond all human power to com- 
pute. 

THE IMMORTAL THINGS. 478 

The temporary and perishable things of the world come in on us like a flood, 'and are 
so noisy that unless we are careful they make us forget the unseen and spiritual realities 
which are of infinitely greater importance. Priscilla Leonard has a little poem which hap- 
pily expresses it: 

Only the immortal things. . 

For the things of time are fleeting, 
To and fro the pendulum swings. 

Love and Death forever meeting, 
Joy forever quenched in tears 
Through life's swift and tragic years. 

Only the immortal things — 

Naught beside is worth endeavor. 
Wide on their _ eternal wings 

They upraise the soul forever, 
From the struggle of the years 
To their own unfading spheres. 

COURAGE IN PRIVATE LIFE. 479 

Under the auspices of the English Colonial Office two physicians are to spend the sum- 
mer in the Roman Campagna, near Cervelleta, which is described as one of the deadliest 
spots on the globe. Their object is to demonstrate dramatically to the public that malaria 
is entirely due to mosquitoes. Scientific men already realize this fact, but it is desired to 
convince the public and residents of tropical countries. The courage of the physician in 
the interest of science is often illustrated. It takes a higher kind of courage to deliberately 
take risks for the sake of humanity in the quiet walks of peace, than on the firing line amid 
the inspiration of battle. There is a call for heroes in these days as loud as ever heard be- 
fore, and heroism is not lacking. 

THE ILLUSIVE CHARACTER OF FAME. 480 

The young are often dazzled by applause and think that in becoming famous lies the 
secret of happiness. Nothing could be farther from the truth than that. Emily Dickinson 
puts it graphically and well in her little rhyme: 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

Fame is a bee, 

It has a song — 
It has a sting — 

Ah, too, it has a wing. 

KEEPING THE CLOCK WOUND UP. 481 

A recent writer comments on how slight a thing may influence a man's whole future. 
In a town in which this gentleman once lived — a town that later grew into a prosperous 
city — there were two jewelers, each of them just about making a living, and maybe just a 
little more. They were going along that way when a newcomer, a man of wealth, bought 
land in the town and built him a fine house and settled there. These new people had a good 
deal of work for a jeweler, and they tried both of the jewelers to see which they liked 
better, before settling on one, and it was hard for them to decide; they liked them both; 
both did good work and they were both pleasant men. But presently something happened 
that made the head of the house come at once to a definite decision. One of these jewelers 
had in his window a clock which the man of the newly-arrived household used to consult in 
passing; he found it a good time-keeper and he came to rely upon it for the correct time, 
and have rather a friendly feeling for its owner; when, going by one day, and looking in at 
it as usual, he saw that it had stopped ! The jeweler that had placed that clock in the win- 
dow, thus inviting confidence in it, and through it in himself, had forgotten to wind it. That 
settled it with the newcomer, who was a precise man, who had made his money by exact at- 
tention to business; and after that his carriage always stood in front of the other jeweler's 
store. The little occurrance turned the scales in the history of the two jewelers. The one 
grew into a rich man, while the other, who had forgotten to wind his clock that day, moved 
into a side street as the city prospered. That illustrates a great many things that occur in life. 
Men go along doing very well, until some day they let the clock stop, and through a single 
shady deed, or angry word, or ungentlemanly look they destroy the work of a lifetime. We 
can never afford to be off our guard in this world. We must keep the clock wound, and hold 
it to its obligation to keep correct time every day in the year, if we are to fulfill the full 
measure of our opportunity. 

THE GALA DAY. 482 

We are having our days of trial now, but if we are faithful to God, and endure unto 
the end, our day of gladness and triumph shall come in God's own good time. Peter, think- 
ing about this, said, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to 
try you, as tho some strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are 
partakers of Christ's sufferings ! that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also 
with exceeding joy." Josephine Rand, meditating on these words of the Apostle, translates 
them into a most courageous song: 

I shall be glad some glorious day, 
"Glad also with exceeding joy;" 
So reads the Word, and I believe; 
These trials, Lord, let me receive, 
Nor e'er be sad. 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

Let me rejoice that I partake 
Of Thine own woes for Thy dear sake, 
That when Thy glory is revealed. 
And faithfulness no more concealed, 
I may be glad! 

I shall be glad in that great day 
When all my tears are wiped away: 
With all my griefs and pains forgot — 
The burdens of my earthly lot — 

And heaven won; 
"Glad also with exceeding joy" — 
Gladness that knoweth no alloy. 
Yea, I shall sing when I behold 
The glory of His banner's gold. 

And life begun. 

I shall be satisfied that day, 
And shall forget the toilsome way 
Up which my weary feet did climb, 
When, face to face, in that glad time, 

I see my Lord. 
Fall back, sins of the fleshly world ! 
Ye shall to outer depths be hurled. 
Christ baffled all the hosts of hell : 
I am in Him, and all is well ; 
I trust His Word. 

TWO CLASSES OF MEN. 483 

Senator Chauncey Depew in a recent address at Girard College, in a tribute to the 
founder, Stephen Girard, called attention to the fact that there are two classes of strong 
men who influence the world. The one acts upon impulse or are moved by the exigent neces- 
sities of the day; the other build upon the basic principles which control in the end, though 
it may take years for them to work out, and then the beneficent results go on forever. Let 
every young man take note of this, that mushroom success may be grown with little out- 
lay and little waiting, but that a real triumph worthy of a man, requires a man's patience 
and devotion. 

THE POINT OF VIEW. 484 

It would often save us from uncharitable and cruel criticism of others if we would 
take the care to note the "point of view" from which they have come to the conclusion or 
action which we condemn. Mrs. O. B. Merrill puts it in a very striking way in a little poem : 

Hit ar' mighty pleasant lisnin' 

Ter pattah on de roof • 
Ob dem raindraps sof'ly fallin', 

Ef yo're shore hit's watahproof! 
An' dere music's berry coofin' 

As dey taps de shingle tips. 
So yo knows dar ain't no cayshun 

Ter go hunting' fur de drips. 

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An' I 'low yo'd 'joy de thundah, 

Beatin on dat big base drum, 
Ef yo're foddah stack's done sheltahed 

'Fore de ansy'rin' showah come. 
Wen dem sparrers sass de jaybirds, 

An' de crows camp meeting' keep, 
Yo' mought laugh, purvided onlies' 

Dat yore seed cawn's kivahed deep ! 

But dar's mighty leetle beauty 

In dat '"music ob de speres," 
Ef de while yo' tries ter lissen 

Fate am cujffin' ob yore y'ears. 
*Tis de beat'nes' wurl fur humbug. 

But dis yere ar' mos'ly true — 
Dat hit makes er heap ob difference 

Whar yo' takes yore pint ob view ! 

A MISER IN RAGS. 485 

An old woman was arrested for begging in New York City not long ago and taken to 
the police station. While her clothes were being take from her to be fumigated, a bag of 
pennies and small silver coins was found tied to her waist. The bag weighed twenty-three 
pounds, and the value of the coins it contained, together with some bills which had been 
sewn into the lining of her ragged clothes, amounted to more than a hundred dollars. The 
bag was handed back to the old woman the next morning after her arrest. She was wild 
with delight and caressed it as if it were a lost child. She retired to a corner, softly chuck- 
ling to herself, and every little while she would take out a handful of the coin and slip it 
from hand to hand, seeming to get a fierce delight in the touch of the copper. Avarice and 
greed are by no means confined to the rich. A miser may exist under a ragged coat as well 
as in the mansion. Avarice and greed and the selfish spirit are always clothed in filthy rags, 
however, in God's sight. 

UNTIL HE FIND. 486 

There is something very impressive about that phrase in the story of the Shepherd who 
leaves the ninety and nine, and goes seeking after the lost sheep "until he find it." We need 
to get the same spirit of patience and persistence which sustains our divine Lord. Anna 
Temple sings the sweet story with tender feeling: 

O tender Shepherd ! climbing rugged mountains, 

And wading waters deep, 
How long wouldst Thou be willing to go homeless 

To find a straying sheep ? 
'T count no time," the Shepherd gently answered, 

"As thou dost count and bind 
The days in weeks, the weeks in months; my counting 

Is just — until I find. 
And that would be the limit of my journey, 

I'd cross the waters deep, 
And climb the hillsides with unfailing patience, 

Until I found my sheep." 

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FISHERS OF MEN 
DO WHAT WE CAN DO BEST. 487 

An interesting story has recently been told of Lord Beaconsfield. It was at the Berlin 
Congress and one of his private secretaries came to Lord Odo, the British Minister, and 
said, "We are in a most unpleasant situation. Lord Beaconsfield insists on making a French 
speech. He has written out a tremendous oration, and learned it by heart; we shall be the 
laughing stock of Europe. He pronounces 'Epicier' as if it rhymed with 'overseer,' and the 
rest of his pronunciation is about on a par. We cannot tell him so. Perhaps you can help 
us?" 'T will see what is to be done," replied Lord Odo. He went to Lord Beaconsfield and 
said, "My dear lord, a terrible report has reached our ears." "Really, what is it?" "We 
have heard that you intend speaking French." "Well, Lord Odo, what do you mean by 
that?" "Well, we all know no one in Europe is more competent than you. But, taking ev- 
erything into consideration you must admit that making a French speech is something quite 
usual. There are half a dozen members of the Congress that could do it, if not quite, yet, 
nearly as well as you. But who can make an English speech like you? Nobody. All the 
plenipotentiaries from the different courts of Europe have come here in the expectation of 
the treat of hearing the greatest living master of English speak. The question for you, my 
dear lord, is : Will you disappoint them ?" Lord Beaconsfield after a moment's thought re- 
plied: "There is much truth in what you say. I will consider the matter." Following this 
suggestion, Beaconsfield spoke English at the Congress. No man ever fails to lose by doing 
a thing he can only do poorly, when he might do something else equally valuable in a su- 
perb manner. 

COURAGE. 488 

Some one has said that discouragement is an act of unbelief, and surely it is true that 
so long as we walk in close touch with God, and realize that beneath us are the "everlasting 
arms," we cannot yield to despair. The way to recover from discouragement is to bring 
ourselves by prayer and service into close conscious touch with heaven. Susan Coolidge 
brings this out very clearly in her poem entitled "Lift Up Your Hearts." 

The spent nerve and the lowered pulse, 

The sluggish current of the blood 
Which feels no glad abounding flow, 
No bound or joyousness, but slow. 

And, as it were, reluctantly. 
Fills the dull veins — all these may be 

Reasons why life should not seem good. 

Happiness is an easy thing 

When summer airs fan summer skies, 
And birds in all the branches sing; 
Or in the budding days of spring, 

When life springs up renewed and fair. 
And joy is in the very air, 

And laughter readier is than sighs. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

But in the ebb-times of the soul, 

When Hope's bright tide has turned and 

Leaving bare sands and thirsting shells, 

When dried are the street water-wells, 
And leaden moments, slow with pain. 

Pass, and the wave turns not again, 
And life seems all uncomforted, — 

Then is the time of test, when Faith 

Cries to the heart which inly fails: 
Courage! not let thy forces dim. 
Although He slay thee, trust in Him 

Who giveth good and tempereth ill, 
And never fails, and never will, 

To be the refuge of His saints. 

"To yield to grief without a blow 

Is to doubt God: with Him for guide. 
The pleasant pathway, and no less 
The hot and thorn set wilderness. 

Alike are roads to heaven, and He, 
Even where thou waitest beside the sea. 

Can with a word recall the tide." 

SEEKING THE PHYSICIAN. 489 

During the progress of a fire in Youngstown, Ohio, in which some stables were burned, 
a horse broke its halter and, rushing through the flames, reached the street with its mane 
and tail blazing and its broad back a mass of flames. Hesitating only an instant, the ani- 
mal started on a run and stopped in front of the hospital of a veterinary surgeon, where it 
neighed and showed that it expected relief. Some weeks before the animal had been ill 
and was treated at the veterinary stable, where it was cured. On coming through the fire 
it evidently believed that the surgeon who helped it before could do so again. Surely a 
man who has been treated by the Great Physician of souls again and again, and found 
blessing and healing at his hand, ought to show as much wisdom as a wounded horse and 
hasten to him in the hour of renewed hurt and necessity. 

FINDING ALL IN JESUS. 490 

Dr. Matheson, the blind preacher of Edinburgh, brings out very tenderly how in Jesus 
Christ we may find the food we need for every need of our lives. He sings: 

Love, that wilt not let me go, 

I rest my weary soul on thee; 

1 give thee back the life I owe. 
That in thine ocean depth its flow 

May richer, fuller be. 

Joy, that seekest me through pain, 

I cannot close my heart to thee; 

1 trace the rainbow through the rain. 
And feel the promise is not vain, 

That morn shall fearless be. 
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FISHERS OF MEN. 

Cross, that liftest up my head, 

I dare not ask to fly from thee; 

1 lay in dust, life's glory dead, 

And from the ground there blossoms red 
Life that shall endless be. 



THE POWER OF AN ENDLESS LIFE. 49i 

Dr. George H. Hepworth in one of his recent New York Herald sermons, speaking of 
the influence of the belief in immortality, declares that the brightest, holiest and most in- 
spiring thing under the sun is a belief that we shall wake up after sleep. It gives us cour- 
age, broadens our shoulders, and makes us rich in anticipation. The other life is better 
than this, and when there we shall complete the work which we left unfinished as the 
shadows fell on our short and troubled career. 



THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LOSS. 492 

It seems sometimes to us to be a very hard thing to be so shut up to certain conditions 
that we cannot help ourselves, but after all it has its bright side. To do what God wills is 
the happiest thing for any of us, and when we are forced into one path, though we woiild 
gladly go a different way, looking at it from our own standpoint, then we may be sure it is 
the will of God. Priscilla Leonard brings this out in a very clear and helpful poem : 

Whenever there comes to you or me 

The settled sentence, "It cannot, be!" 

When the hope, half blossomed, dies in frost, 

When the chance, half grasped, is forever lost, 

When the light that gleamed upon our way 

Fades, and leaves but the common day — 

Shall we say, in bitterness, "Never more 

Can life be rich as it was before; 

This was the central joy we sought, 

All the rest without it is naught; 

Naught but loss and struggle remains; 

Nothing in life is worth the pains? 

Nay — for life has a thousand ways: 

Opportunity crowds the days. 

New hopes spring where the old ones died, 

One shut door leaves a hundred wide. 

And over all is the Father's care, 

Giving each human soul its share 

Of hope and care, of joy and woe. 

Of love and loneliness here below ; • 

In his wisdom is no mistake. 

What seems hard is for love's own sake, 

His the choice, and ours to say, 

"The Lord has given — has taken away." . ■ 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

So, when there comes to you or me 
The Father's message, "It cannot be!" 
Let us rise from the weakness of selfish pain 
And gird our loins in his strength again; 
His plans for us are wide and sweet, 
His love and wisdom guide our feet 
Ever upward and forward and on; 
Deeper joys for the joy that is gone, 
Nobler days for the day that is dead, 
Higher hopes for the hope that is fled — 
These are our Father's gift and will. 
And the seeming loss is a blessing still. 



THE REGICIDES' WELL. 493 

Some workmen tearing down some old buildings near the Yale campus, in New Haven, 
recently made an interesting discovery. The discovery is that of the old Regicides' well, 
which has been practically lost to local history for half a century. The well is one of the 
most interesting of the relics of the town. A hundred years ago all that part of the town 
was a marsh and traces of this marsh remained until well on into the middle of the cen- 
tury. In this land, which was far out from the center of the town a hundred years ago, 
tradition has it that the three English Regicides, Edward Walley, John Dixwell, and 
William Goflfe, lived in retirement in a hut which they had built in the woods. Near this 
spot the Regicides dug the well in a rude way to get water. The college will put a 
memorial tablet on the walls of the new alumni hall to commemorate the Regicides' well. 
There is another well to which thirsty souls fleeing from their sins never fail to find re- 
freshment. It is the well of salvation, and though multitudes have fled to it for the Water 
of Life, its waters are as abundant as ever. 



KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM. 494 

The superiority of wisdom over knowledge is brought out in a very strong manner by 
Sam Walter Foss in a poem which sets in contrast "The Man who loved the names ot 
things," and "The Man who loved the soul of things." 



The Man who Loved the Names of Things 

Went forth beneath the skies, 
And named all things that he beheld, 

And people called him wise. 
An unseen presence walked with him 

Forever by his side. 
The wedded rnistress of his soul — 

For Knowledge was his bride ; 
She named the flowers, the weeds, the trees, 

And all the growths of all the seas. 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

She told him all the rocks by name, 

The winds and whence they blew; 
She told him how the seas were formed, 

And how the mountains grew ; 
She numbered all the stars for him ; 

And all the roundedi skies 
Were mapped and charted for the gaze 

Of his devouring eyes. 
Thus, taught by her, he taught the crowd; 
They praised — and he was very proud. 

II. 

The Man who Loved the Soul of Things 

Went forth serene and glad. 
And mused upon the mig^hty world, 

And people called him mad. 
An unseen presence walked with him 

Forever by his side, 
The wedded mistress of his soul — 

For Wisdom was his bride. 
She showed him all this mighty frame, 
And bade him feel — but named no name. 

She_ stood with him upon the hills 

Ringed by the azure sky, 
And shamed his lowly thought with stars. 

And bade it climb a^ high. 
And all the birds he could not name. 

The nameless stars that roll, 
The unnamed blossoms at his feet 

Talked with him soul to soul ; 
He heard the Nameless Glory speak 
In silence — and was very meek. 

THE POWER OF BROTHERLY SYMPATHY. 495 

The superintendent of Cuban Public Schools says that the attitude of the American 
teachers toward the Cuban teachers has made a profound impression on the people of the 
entire island. There is no doubt that the expressions of good will arising out of the plan 
of carrying the Cuban teachers to Harvard for a summer term of study have done more to 
establish confidence in the minds of the Cuban people than all the other acts of the Ameri- 
can government together. From one end of Cuba to the other not only the teachers, but the 
people at large are deeply stirred at this generous sympathy. It has been the means of cen- 
tering their thoughts on the great Republic to which they owe their independence, and it 
has revealed to them the generous, patriotic side of our National life. In Church as well as 
State, generosity and kindness expressed in brotherly sympathy which seeks the good of 
others will win when nothing else will. 

THE MOUNT OF VISION. 496 

Tennyson brings out beautifully how the "Mount of Blessing" climbed by humble, 
reverent service is always on the way toward the "Mount of Vision :" 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

Cling to Faith beyond the forms of Faith; 

She reels not in the storm of warring words, 

She sees the best that glimmers through the worst, 

She feels the sun is hid but for a night, 

She spies the summer thro' the winter bud, 

She tastes the fruit before the blossom falls, 

She hears the lark within the songless egg. 

She finds the fountain where they wailed, "Mirage!" 

And lay thine uphill shoulder to the wheel. 

And climb the Mount of Blessing, whence, if thou 

Look higher, then — perchance — thou mayest — ^beyond 

A hundred ever rising mountains lines. 

And past the range of Night and Shadows see 

The high heaven dawn of more than mortal day 

Strike on the Mount of Vision ! 

MUST BE LEFT BEHIND. 497 

Not long ago a Spaniard was buried in Dolores and after the funeral the niece of the 
dead man informed the other relatives that he had at the time of his death the sum of $500 
in one of his pockets. The news caused great consternation, as the man had been buried in 
his ordinary clothes, and no one had taken the precaution to investigate the pockets. The 
niece had been prostrate with grief at the death of her uncle and did not remember anything 
about the money until after the funeral. It is needless to say that the grave was immediately 
reopened and the money removed from the dead man's pocket. This is a very suggestive inci- 
dent to give emphasis to the old and oft quoted remark that we can carry nothing with us 
out of this world. We ought to make good use of our money here for we cannot carry it 
beyond. 

A DAY AT A TIME. 498 

Professor Amos R. Wells has a strong poem entitled "One Day's Service." He brings 
out in bold relief how much a single day lived nobly means : 

O to serve God for a day ! 

From jubilant morn to the peace and the calm of the night 
To tread no path but his happy and blossoming way, 

To seek no delight 
But the joy that is one with the joy at heaven's heart; 

Only to go where Thou art, 

God of all blessing and beauty ! to love, to obey. 

With obedience sweetened by love, and love made strong by the right; 
Not once, not once, to be drunken with self. 

Or to play the hypocrite's poisoned part, 
Or to bend the knee of my soul to the passion for pelf. 

Or the glittering gods of the mart ; 
Through each glad hour to lay on the wings of its flight 

Some flower for the angels' sight ; 
Some fragrant fashion of service, scarlet and white. 

White for the pure intent, and red where the pulses start. 
O, if thus I could serve him, could perfectly serve him one day, 

1 think I could perfectly serve him forever — forever and aye! 

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FISHERS OF MEN. 

SWEET FOOD. 499 

Profesor Pfahl, head of the physiological laboratory of the German army, has been 
making some elaborate experiments which have confirmed the results of previous investiga- 
tion, that sugar is a valuable article of diet, particularly for persons called upon to perform a 
large amount of muscular exertion. The professor found that after long and fatiguing walks 
the soldiers recuperated in from fifteen minutes to half an hour if they were given several 
lumps of sugar. These appeared to remove all feelings of lassitude and to restore the mus- 
cles to their original elastic condition. We all know that a few sweet, kind words of appre- 
ciation or sympathetic praise will put nerve into a tired or discouraged man or woman 
quicker than anything else. Appreciation, not blame or criticism, is the way to get the best 
service out of people^ young or old. 

PATIENT WITH OUR FRIENDS. 500 

How much happier the world would be if when ready to say a sharp, cruel word of criti- 
cism to husband, or wife, or child, or servant, or friend, we would only remember how many 
good things they do for us, and how the blessing they are to us is after all infinitely greater 
than the annoyance. Some poet, whose name I do not know, sings of it with true feeling : 

The hands are such dear hands; 

They are so full ; they turn at our demands 

So often ; they reach out. 

With trifles scarcely thought about, 

So many times ; they do 

So many things for me, for you — 

If their fond wills mistake. 

We may well bend, not break. 

They are such fond, frail lips 

That speak to us. Pray if love strips 

Them of discretion many times, 

Or if they speak too slow or quick; such crimes 

We may pass by, for we may see 

Days not far off when those small words may be 

Held not as slow, or quick, or out of place, but dear. 

Because the lips are no more here. 

SPIRITUAL MARKMANSHIP. 501 

All the great correspondents of the English newspapers have confessed the inequality of 
the English soldiers taken as a whole, when compared with the Boers in the matter of mark- 
manship. Mr. Villiers relates a very striking experience. While asleep in his Cape cart on 
the veldt he was ineffectually potted at one hundred yards off by three English soldiers, who 
mistook him for a Boer farmer. As he tersely puts it, "I never felt anywhere so safe as when 
under my countrymen's fire." Of course this is not to be wondered at when we take into 
consideration that these English volunteers came largely to the war without any experience 
with a gun, while the Boers have been accustomed to shooting from the time they could hold 
a rifle. It suggests to us the great importance of discipline in the matter of the higher aims 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

of life. Young people are brought up too much in the hit or miss fashion. If they hit it is by 
accident, but they usually miss. If we are to win real success in the higher realms of doing 
•we must become accustomed to aiming definitely at noble results and continue to shoot at our 
target until we can hit the bullseye. 

RESPONSIBILITY FOR FREEDOM. 502 

The death of Mrs. Gladstone has brought to light some new anecdotes concerning her re- 
lation to her famous husband. Among others the story is told that just after their marriage, 
Mr. Gladstone, who had already been Minister, asked her: "Shall I tell you nothing, ani 
you can say anything; or shall I tell you everything, and you say nothing?" She chose the 
latter. He told her everything, and she never told anything. God deals with us as Mr. Glad- 
stone dealt with his wife. He gives us freedom. We have the power to choose and we are 
responsible for that choice. Paul had this in his mind when he wrote to the Galatians, "Ye 
have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love 
serve one another." 

APPEALS TO FEAR. 503 

A writer in the North American Review has observed that the appeals to fear have well 
nigh ceased, and yet there is no fact which we are so compelled to see as the fact of retribu- 
tion. The law of retribution works in our present life. We become aware of it in our earliest 
infancy, and we never become developed in character until we have learned to fear that 
which is evil and to shun the consequences of sin. There is a sense of righteousness in all 
men, and all men know that unrighteousness brings punishment. It is fair to assume that 
■what holds good in the present life, that what is a part of man's very structure here, will con- 
tinue hereafter. We may give up entirely the notion of a material hell, but we can not give 
up the doctrine of retribution. Suffering must follow sin, and therefore to appeal to fear is 
not only legitimate but it is in accordance with the structure of man's nature. It is strange 
that preachers should be ceasing to preach about retribution at a time when the great novel- 
ists are reaching their largest circulation with such books as deal most strenuously with that 
subject. 

THE CLOCK OF THE THREE GRACES. 504 

Among the exhibits at the World's Fair in Paris is a white marble clock, for which an 
offer of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars has been made. The clock is by Falconet, 
and is composed of statuettes of three nymphs standing and is called the "Clock of the Three 
Graces." The nymphs are connected by festoons of flowers, surrounding a broken fluted pil 
lar, which serves as the base of a two-handled vase decorated with festoons of oak leaves. 
The vase contains the works of the clock, to the dial of which one of the nymphs is pointing 
with her finger. The owner intends to leave it to the Louvre on his death. Every sincere 
Christian is a clock in the "Clock of the Three Graces :" the graces Paul speaks about in his 
first letter to the Corinthians when he says, "But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; 
but the greatest of these is love." In the Christian's case it is love that points to the dial 
plate of life. 

210 



fjshers of men. 
the blessing of a cheerful heart. 505 

It is claimed that a species of butterfly has been discovered on the Gulf coast of Florida 
that will cure consumption. These butterflies feed upon the rare blossoms of what is known 
as the "fever weed." The fever weed is so called because of its well-known power to check 
the spread of Cuban fever among cattle and horses. A gentleman noticed that the butter- 
flies feeding on these blossoms are golden and green in hue like the flowers and he wondered 
if they did not partake of the weed's healing power. The Cuban cattle fever destroys the 
lungs of the afflicted animals, but may be checked if the weeds are eaten in the early stages. 
People have often tried it for consumption, but the result has always been failure to discover 
just where its virtue lies. Mr. Frederick R. Knight, of Venice, Florida, writes of it as fol- 
lows : 

"More clever than any human chemist, these little butterflies have solved the mystery, 
and during their short lives continually sip from the blossoms the essence of the great 
remedy. I discovered the fact through a practical joke, so you see there is some good even in 
a joke. 

"A friend of mine from the North, suffering in the last stages of consumption, came to 
pay me a visit. He had heard of the fever weed and asked me if it would not benefit him. I 
told him no, and on the spur of the moment said that the butterflies which feed upon its 
blossoms would. I was sure the deception would do him no harm and accordingly made the 
dried bodies of a few of the insects into a powder. 

"As a drowning man catches at a straw, he took the powder from day to day. The 
very strangeness of the idea seemed to convince him of its truth. In a month he said he was 
vastly improved, but I thought it was merely his imagination. 

"At length evidences of his recovery were so manifest that I was amazed and insisted 
that a medical examination of his lungs be made. We went to Atlanta together, and you can 
.magine my astonishment when three of Georgia's most eminent physicians pronounced his 
lungs perfectly healthy." 

However this may be, I am sure that a light heart made cheerful by trust in God has the 
power to check and cure that more terrible consumption of anxiety and care, that devours 
the soul. 

FRIVOLOUS CHRISTIANS. 506 

While the firemen were engaged in fighting a fire in a great New York block, and were 
bending their energies to save human life, and if possible the great building from complete 
destruction, a woman, evidently in great excitement and fear, rushed up to the fire lines. 
"Save them! Oh, please, save them!" she cried. "They'll be burned up sure if you don't 
bring them out !" And then she began to weep and lament in a most heart-breaking fashion. 
"Where are your children, madam?" said one of the firemen. "What floor are they on, and 
in Vv'hat room?" "Thej^'re in the dentist's office on the second floor," sobbed the woman, "and 
they'll surely be burned — boo — hoo — hoc — and I was to have 'em to-morrow to wear to 
church and to a dinner at a friend's." The firemen stood amazed and for a moment forgot 
that there was a fire. "Wear 'em to church and to dinner?" gasped one. "\our children?" 
"'W^ho said children?" demanded the weeping woman, "they ain't children — they're teeth; 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

they're my set of false teeth. The dentist promised to have them repaired for me by to-mor- 
row, and I must have them. Oh, please save them before they're burned up." I' fear that 
many members of the Christian church are as inconsistent as that in relation to the great 
purpose for which the church exists. They would interfere with a revival of religion, and 
stop earnest souls from throwing out the life line to save the lost in order to have a dinner 
or a party. 

FROM CANOE TO OCEAN LINER. 507 

Chief Nicola, or Big Thunder, of the Penobscot tribe of Indians, is eighty years old, and 
he wants to smoke the pipe of peace with the Great Father at Washington. So he is going 
thither, but not in the style of modern days, riding on the cushions of a railroad train. He is 
going in his canoe. Peter Nicola, an Indian of strong frame and in his prime, will accompany 
Big Thunder, and together they will float down the Penobscot to the Big Water, and follow 
down the coast to the home of the great white chief. Their canoe is built from the bark of 
the silver birch. It is sewed with cedar roots and the seams are sealed with pitch. It is a far 
try from the canoe of the Penobscot Chief to one of the great ocean liners which carries 
thousands of passengers across the Atlantic in five days. It is suggestive of the rapid march 
of civilization. In an age when the steam ship has taken the place of the canoe, the church 
must be ready to adapt itself in its methods to the conditions of modern life. The church 
that sticks to the canoe will certainly be distanced. This is the age of the steamboat in more 
senses than one. 

THE MASTER PASSION. 508 

A Negro convict was recently taken from Wichita to the Kansas penitentiary. On the 
way he begged the sheriff to tell the Warden that he was sickly and not able to work in the 
coal mines. The sheriff promised, and, after seeing the Warden told the Negro that it was 
all fixed ; that he was not to work in the coal mines, but be watchman at the dead house, in- 
stead. "Gosh, Almighty 1" shouted the affrighted Negro, "Tell dat wahden I kin dig fohty 
"tons ob coal a day. an' don' let him put me wid dem corpuses 1" The Negro was lazy, but 
his laziness was insignificant compared to his superstition. When the master passion came 
into play laziness vanished into thin air. This humorous story suggests a great truth. If we 
give ourselves up to love God, and to love his cause supremely, it will master and overcome 
every temptation to evil. 

THE BEAUTY OF LOVE IN FAMILY LIFE'. 509 

Mr. T. P. O' Conner, a member of Parliament, tells a beautiful story of the domestic 
life of Gladstone. On the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone went 
to a reception at an old friend's house. When it began to get late, Mr. Gladstone went over 
Tto his wife and, with an expression of sweetness and tenderness, took her by the hand as 
though she were a little child that had to be reminded that it was time to go to bed, and led 
her out of the room. Mr. O'Conner said it was a sight that might well have brought tears. 
Such love beautifies and glorifies family life, and makes it a foretaste of the heavenly home 
teyond. 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

THE ABANODNED TRAIL. 510 

Geronimo, the famous old Apache chief, has a wardrobe of buckskin clothes, fine beads^ 
and elk teeth, which he used to wear on the war path. He still retains them as a relic of by- 
gone days, though he has been offered a thousand dollars for them. Though the old chief 
cannot read or write himself, he is very anxious that his people shall be educated in the way 
of the white man. "Apache trail no good any more," is the terse way in which he puts it. 
Wise old chief! A man ought to do like that when he becomes a Christian. There should 
be no hankering after the fleshpots of Egypt. We should abandon the devil's trail altogether. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOD. 511 

A recent writer says some very striking things about the importance of well prepared 
food. He declares that a bad dinner, badly cooked accentuates your evil passions three fold. 
The weak man flies from the house after the wretched meal and drowns his sorrows at the 
nearest bar ! He confesses that this may be a slight exaggeration, but maintains that a 
series of bad dinners will undermine the strongest will in the world. This writer urges that 
Ithe result of good living are, health, good spirits, improved moral tone, economy, love of 
home and charitableness. Surely that is a very attractive list and no one can deny that the 
influence of good food will be helpful toward them all. But important as good food is for 
the body it is surely not more important than proper food for the soul. Men can not expect 
Ito feed the mind and the heart on vicious meditations and produce a strong wholesome 
character. The Bread of Life is within the reach of every man and woman in our Christian 
lands, and it is the first duty of Christian people to carry it to the starving multitude in 
heathen lands. 

THE GOSSIP MONGER. 512 

A pigeon recently alighted on one of the open windows of a Catholic church in Milwau- 
kee and becoming frightened flew into the edifice, making at once for the highest point it 
•could discover. The sexton made vain efforts to drive it out. The windows were opened 
and the doors left ajar, but the bird would not leave. Finally being unable to get it out he 
determined after several days to have it shot. He secured the services of an expert wing 
shot and entered upon the strange task. Several shells were specially prepared, a good gun 
was selected, and the Nimrod wended his way to the church. He hesitated when he saw a 
number of people at prayer, and wanted to withdraw, but the sexton insisted that he go ahead 
with his work. He informed the priest in charge of what was intended, the hunter took his 
stand near the altar of the church, and awaiting a favorable chance fired. Down tumbled 
the poor, half-starved bird and up jumped the startled parishioners. The situation was 
readily understood, however, and soon forgotten beyond that the marksman and the sexton 
have marked it in their list of great events. There is worse kind of gunnery than that some- 
times goes on in churches, when a gossip starts some silly or malicious story which explodes 
again and again until the character of some good man or innocent woman is assassinated. A 
malicious gossip is a murderer of the worst sort. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

THE KEY LOG. 513 

A lumberman recently talking about rafting logs says that a log jam is one of the most 
formidable problems to be encountered in his line of business. The breaking of a jam is a 
very delicate operation and seems to be largely a matter of instinct with old river men. The 
lines and angles of strain in such a blockade are so complicated that the best engineer in 
*the world is apt to go wrong in indicating the proper point of attack. A veteran lumber- 
man, on the contrary, will often take a long look at the mass and then point out the "key 
log." The key log is the timber on which the strain centers, and when it is blown out or 
pried out, the pack, in almost every instance, will break up of itself. We see something 
like that in hum.an life. How often a family is held together by one person. The father or 
mother or one of the younger folks is the "key log," and when death or misfortune pries 
them out the family all goes to pieces. The same thing often happens in church life. It is 
better to center our hopes on Jesus Christ and concentrate all our force about him, for he 
shall never be dislodged. 

REWARDS FOR SERVICE AND VICTORY. 514 

The war in South Africa has brought to light a number of interesting statements in re- 
gard to the rewards and pensions which England has from time to time bestowed upon those 
who have suffered and won victories for her flag. Among other interesting things there is 
published the official rate of compensation for wounds and injuries in war. Where it is a 
Major General or a Brigadier-General the allowance is three hundred and fifty pounds a 
year ; if it is a Colonel or a Lieutenant-Colonel it is three hundred pounds a year, while a 
Major receives two hundred pounds; a Captain, one hundred pounds, and a Lieutenant only 
seventy pounds. God does not deal with his heroic soldiers in that way. A Lieutenant will 
receive just as great a reward as a Major General. The blessings promised in the book of 
Revelation are, "To him that overcometh," whether he be at the 'head of the army or only a 
private. The reason of that is that we are all God's children, A true king would love his 
children just the sam.e and be ready to reward them equally for loyal service though one 
served as a General and the other as a private. God is not only our perfect king but our 
perfect Father as well. 

PASSING GLORY. 515 

The monuments of earth soon pass away. An English newspaper has an interesting 
article on the rapid decay of Westminister Abbey. It seems that in the time of Sir Christo- 
pher Wren the decay was four inches deep, and fell off perpetually in large scales. Seven 
.centuries of wear in the moist English climate is rapidly disintegrating the material of which 
it is constructed. The repairing, too, in its own way hastens the decay. The new stuff seems 
to tear away the old material. Thus it is that the proudest monuments of man's pride are 
rapidly sinking into dust. How much better it is to lay up our treasures in heaven where 
nothing can corrupt. Deeds of service rendered our fellows, which help to build up in them 
^he undying graces of the Spirit will give us a monument in heaven which shall be immor- 
tal. 

214 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

THE HELP THAT CAME TOO LATE. 516 

An American art student died not long ago in Paris of starvation, and some three weeks 
later he was being advertised for by a firm of London solicitors, as an uncle had recently 
died in Illinois bequeathing him a property worth two hundred thousand dollars. He died 
after having applied vainly several times to his uncle, whose belated inheritance came too 
late. How often it is that our help is delayed too long to be of service. There is an old 
proverb which says, "He who helps quickly helps twice." It is the friend "in need," who is 
"the friend indeed." Do not put off until to-morrow an opportunity to say the kind word or 
to stretch out the hand of help to the man within your reach. "To-day is the day of salva- 
tion," is a proverb as true in our relation to our fellows as in our relation to God. 

INTELLECTUAL HOSPITALITY. 517 

Speaking of that larger hospitality and tolerance which we ought to exercise toward 
those who differ with us in religious opinion, Dr. George H. Hepworth says : That when a 
man believes that he has a monopoly of the truth he is mentally deformed. The absolute 
truth has not yet been discovered, and until it is we must occupy different standpoints and 
see things in different ways. It is pure arrogance to assume that you are right and those 
who disagree with you are in the wrong. If the truths of religion were like the facts of 
science, and you could prove your faith as you can prove a problem in algebra, or as you 
can prove that two and two make four, you might be excused for your intolerance, but where 
we are all seekers, using equal intellect, working with equal desire, it is worse than folly for 
one man or body of men to denounce another because their conclusions are not accepted as 
final. He also says, "There is very little variety of opinion as to what we ought to do, but a 
large variety as to what we ought to think. No one can fail to receive the approval of the 
Lord who does what is right because it is right, and hates the wrong, because it is wrong. 
He must needs go to heaven at last, since there is no other place in the universe for him." 

RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS WORK. 518 

When the police in Denmark find a man helplessly dmnk in the streets they drive the 
patient in a cab to the station, where he sobers off; then they take him home. The cabman 
makes his charge, the police doctor makes his, the agents make their claim for special duty, 
and this bill is presented to the landlord of the establishment where the drunkard took the 
last glass that did the business. In God's book the man who gave him the first glass will be 
held responsible as well as the man who gave him the last. Very heart-searching is that 
word that declares "Cursed is he who putteth the bottle to his neighbor's lips and maketh 
him drunken also." And that surely will apply not only to the man who sells liquor over the 
bar, but to the one who offers it to another at his table. 

LIFE BECOMING BARREN. 519 

A great lake has vanished in South Africa. When Livingston visited Lake Ngami in 
1849 he found that its water was slowly disappearing and that its banks were being covered 
with rank vegetation. To-day there is no water in the lake, its place being occupied by a 

2^5 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

great morass. The river Lauche formerly flowed into this lake, but now the tributaries that 
led to the lake are dry, and the river itself is also choked up. The reason apparently is be- 
cause the mouth of the river was gradually filled with thousands of small floats or rafts used 
by the natives. The water found itself powerless against an obstacle like this, and the result 
is that the river and lake have become dry, and that what once was a fertile agricultural 
region is now bleak and barren. How often is the same sad transformation witnessed in a 
human life. A man receiving into his heart the river of the water of life abounds in all 
the beautiful graces of the Spirit, but the world's floats and rafts clog up the channel of 
communication between heaven and his heart, until after awhile there is no more communi- 
cation, and the graces of the Spirit die out, and the life becomes a bleak and barren plain of 
worldliness. 

THE GAMBLING MANIA. 520 

A wealthy woman recently went to New York with her son and they put up at one of 
!the best hotels. One evening the lady discovered that she had been robbed of her jewels, and 
asked her son, in whom she had the most implicit confidence, to go with her to the police 
station to give notice of the theft. As they got to the station house and were starting up the 
steps, the young man grasped his mother's arm and said: "Don't go in there. Mother." 
''Why not, my son?" asked the woman. "Because I took the diamonds. Mother." "Why, 
John 1" said the woman^ and leaned white as death against the iron railing of the station 
house. "Yes, I took them," said the young man ; "I pawned them and lost the money on the 
races." He had gone to the races just to see the sport but the gambling mania had taken 
possession of him. Multitudes of young men in all our large cities are being ruined by the 
race track, and yet you would be astonished to find out how many highly respectable, and 
even professedly religious men, are the owners of race tracks. 



JUDGES BY THEIR TUNES. 521 

A boss carpenter in New Jersey had one question which he always asked his journey- 
men who applied to him for employment. If the applicant was found to possess all the 
other necessary qualifications he would ask: "What are your favorite tunes?" "Why, what 
do you want to know that for?" "You whistle and sing some at your work, don't you?" "Oh, 
yes." "Well, what tunes do you generally whistle or sing?" "Oh, there's 'Down by the 
Weeping Willows,' and — " "That's enough !" the boss carpenter would exclaim. "You 
won't do for me, your tunes are too slow for me. Good day." On the contrary if the appli- 
cant answered, "Oh, I generally whistle 'Yankee Doodle,' or 'The Fisher's Hornpipe,' or 
anything cheerful and jolly," the carpenter would say at once: "I think you'll do! Take 
off your coat if you want to and go to work." The old carpenter was wise in his day and 
generation. It makes all the difference in the world what tune you set your life to. If you 
have it keyed to faith in God then cheerfulness and hopefulness will be your prevailing spirit. 
If you have it keyed to doubt and fear, then your prevailing temperament will be despair and 
gloom. 

216 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

THE WAR AGAINST THE THISTLE. 522 

A new pamphlet has just been issued concerning the Canada thistle. It is against the 
law to let it go to seed in twenty-four different states. In some states the law directs that 
the plant itself shall be killed and in many sections the law is strictly enforced with excel- 
lent results. The law makers are logical when they seek to prevent the seed being sown. It 
is only in that way that evil may be overcome. The vile thistles that grow in our hearts 
and send their bristling thorns out into our conversation and daily deeds are born of evil seed, 
n we would live pure, wholesome lives we must beware of the thistle-seed. 

CAUGHT BY GREED. 523 

One of the greatest birds in existence is the Great Albatross. Specimens have been 
:found seventeen feet across the wings, and the average is more than eleven feet, wing 
measurement. A naturalist being on a ship followed by a large number of these birds de- 
sired to secure specimens to study. He found it unnecessary to use a barbed hook. He made 
a small metal frame and covered the sides of it with bits of fat pork. The birds seized this 
and their greediness would forbade their letting go until they were pulled on deck and cap- 
,tured. How many men and women there are who are captured by the enemy of their souls 
^through their greed! 

FLYING FOR SAFETY. 524 

A chaircar was discovered to be on fire about seven miles from Des Moines not long ago. 
The fire was between the two floors of the car. The conductor and some of the passengers 
held a counsel as to what could be done. The fire could not be stopped without a hose and 
water power to throw the water back toward both ends of the car, and at that place in the 
fields where it was discovered there were no such conveniences. The fire had not yet eaten 
its way through the floor, so the passengers needed to have no immediate fear. While they 
stood undecided the conductor suddenly conceived a plan and immediately shouted : "All 
aboard, shove her through to Des Moines at full speed, Tommy," he yelled to the engineer, 
who crawled into his engine cab, pulled the throttle wide open and away the train sped. It 
was a race to see which was the faster, the fire or the locomotive. The locomotive won and 
when they reached the yards at Des Moines the fire had almost eaten its way through the 
floor of the coach. It was quickly extinguished at the edge of the yards by means of a hose 
attached to a water main, and they drew into the depot on time. There are men and women 
who are on fire of evil. Their hearts are smoldering furnaces of the fires of passion which 
are still kept under hatches for the most part, but unless the baleful fire is quenched they 
will be destroyed. The only escape is in flight to him who is "Able to save unto the utter- 
most all those who come unto God by him." 

A PRICELESS SOUVENIR. 525 

Among the jewel collection of the Dowager Empress of Russia is an tgg that com- 
memorates a family storm and a royal problem. Nicolas II, the present Czar, when a boy, 
had, as all the world knew a most irrational and vehement love affair. Society was shocked, 

217 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

and his royal parents were greatly distressed. Nicolas was hurriedly sent around the world 
to complete his education and time and absence brought a satisfactory change to his mind. 
But the Empress grieved greatly over the separation from her son, and on Easter of that 
year the Czar gave her an t^'g, inside of which was a model of the ship in which her rebel- 
lious son was sailing away from his entanglement. A goldsmith of famous skill had spent 
ten months making the ship, which was of solid gold, mounted on a beryl stone, and was com- 
plete and accurate in every detail, down to the smallest cable. That is certainly a very in- 
teresting souvenir, but every sincere Christian who remains faithful to the end is to receive 
a souvenir far more interesting than that. It is described in the book of Revelations, where 
it is promised "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna and will give 
him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he 
that receiveth it." 

PILGRIMS ON EARTH. 526 

It will save us a great deal of sorrow and worry if we will keep in mind that we are 
only pilgrims in this world. That we are not at home here but are traveling to our home in 
the sky. Dr. Hepworth brings this out very strongly in one of his recent New York Herald 
sermons. He says: 

"You are like a traveller through the country. Sometimes you will find luxurious ac- 
commodations, and be happy in your temporary surroundings. At other times you can 
■command only the most meagre comforts, or, it may be, no comforts at all. It is the pil- 
grim's fate. Yesterday the sun shone in all his splendor, and you sat by the stream or under 
the tree in perfect peace, your heart filled with gratitude. To-day the clouds gather, the 
storm bursts, you are in a sorry plight, and you find it difficult to meet the conditions which 
prevail. Once in a while the road is smooth and you make great progress ; then, again, it is 
almost impassable, and your strength and patience are tested to the utmost. 

"That is what befalls all pilgrims. Unless you have something within which makes you 
glad in spite of tempest and struggle, you are poor indeed. If you demand good fare and are 
ithe slave to your environment, you will live to little purpose and be a disappointment to the 
very angels who have you in charge. Religion in its broad, not in its narrow, sense — the re- 
ligion which has a heaven in its geography and a Divine Providence in its philosophy, is the 
only thing under the sun that can furnish contentment and enable you to achieve your mis- 
sion as a son of God, who has dominion over the earth.' " 

THE SPIRIT MAKETH ALIVE. 527 

There is an old proverb which says that fine feathers cannot make fine birds. Brick 
and stone and architecture and rich furnishings may constitute a mansion, but they can 
never make a real home. If the home spirit be lacking no amount of wealth can take its 
place. Anna J. Grannis makes this very clear in her little poem entitled "Two Homes :" 

A beautiful room with tinted walls, 
A bust where the colored sunlight falls, 
A lace-hung bed with a satin fold, 
A lovely room all blue and gold, — 
And weariness. 

218 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

A quaint old room with rafters bare, 
A low white bed, a rocking-chair, 
A book, a stalk where a flower had been, 
An open door, — and all within 
Peace and content. 

COURAGE CONQUERING BULK. 528 

There used to be an old ballad which had for its burden, "When the pigs begin to fly." 
One flew the other day in a Western forest. A hunter to his dismay heard the squeal of a 
pig overhead. He dropped under cover of a friendly bush and watched. His dismay was not 
lessened when he beheld a pig flying away with the biggest wings he ever saw in his life. 
To let go both barrels was the next thing and then the explanation was easy. An eagle had 
stolen a pig and was making off with it. The shot killed the bird instantly. The pig was the 
first to hit the ground, screaming every inch of the way until he struck the earth. Then 
came the bird. The pig weighed forty-two pounds and had been carried half a mile by an 
eagle weighing only ten pounds. One pound of eagle easily masters four pounds of pig. You 
see the same difference among men and women. The men who have the eagle spirit will al- 
ways dictate destiny to the porkers. 

THE COMING BROTHERHOOD. 529 

In this day of war and rumors of war it is well for Christians to keep in mind the great 
fact, that in the heart of God war is doomed, and that even war itself is hastening its own 
destruction. The universal peace and brotherhood shall come. Surely it is a time when we 
may pray with Robert Burns : 

"Then let us pray that come it may — 

And come it will for a' that — 
That sense and worth o'er a' the earth 
Shall bear the gree, and a' that. 
For a' that and a' that 
It's coming yet, for a' that. 
That man to man, the warld o'er. 
Shall brithers be for a' that." 

MUSIC OF THE HEART. 530 

Among the many odd and grotesque looking objects in the National Museum, relics of 
a mysterious people who once flourished on this continent, is a unique collection of musical 
instruments, many of which, however crude in appearance, give forth tones as sweet and 
clear as they did a thousand years ago. Wherever man is found some kind of musical in- 
strument is found with him. The truth is that God made man with music in his heart; he 
made us to sing. Sin takes the music out of us but Christ brings it back, and fills the voice 
with the melody of the soul. 

2/p 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

OPPORTUNITY. 531 

Grim old Carlyle said, "You must seize an occasion by the foretop for she has no back 
hair." Some one brings this out clearly in a little poem in which the speaker is "Oppoi* 
tunity :" 

Master of human destinies am I ! 

Fame, love and fortune on my footsteps wait. 

Cities and fields I walk; I penetrate 
Deserts and seas remote, and passing by 

Hovel and mart and palace, soon or late 

I knock unbidden once at every gate ! 
If sleeping, wake; if feasting, rise before 

I turn away. It is the hour of fate, 

And they who follow me reach every state 

Mortals desire, and conquer every foe 
Save death ; but those who doubt or hesitate, 

Condemned to failure, penury and woe. 
Seek me in vain and uselessly implore, 
I answer not, and I return no more. 

HUMAN TUNDRA. 532 

One of the words we have been seeing frequently in the newspapers recently is "tundra." 
It is in the tundra or where it joins the beach that the easiest gold digging in the world is 
found at Cape Nome. The tundra is the low ground lying between the mountains and the 
beach. It is marshy and covered with grass and moss during the summer, and it never thaws 
more than a couple of feet below the surface. It has been considered useless but in this 
(case has been found to be rich in gold. There is many a stretch of human tundra in our 
great cities which can be reached by earnest men and women who will approach it with as 
much determination and personal solicitude as the miners dig for gold in the tundra of Cape 
Nome. 

THE GREAT ARCHER. 533 

R. H. Stoddard beautifully illustrates the theme of Horace Bushnell's great sermon on 
'"Every Man's Life a Plan of God," in a beautiful little poem entitled "The Flight of the 
Arrow." 

The life of man 

Is an arrow's flight, 
Out of darkness 

Into light. 
And out of the light 

Into darkness again; 
Perhaps to pleasure. 
Perhaps to pain! 

There must be Something, 

Above, or below ; 
Somewhere unseen 

A mighty bow, 
A Hand that tires not, 

A sleepless Eye 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

That sees the arrows 

Fly, and fly; 
One who knows 

Why we live — and die. 

THE DIAMOND IN THE CLAY. 534 

Some years ago Dr. Playfair, a famous physician, while attending a patient from the 
Orange Free State, happened to notice in the drawing room a piece of bright blue stone, 
from which a tiny brilliant point protruded. Seeing that his attention was attracted by this 
specimen, the patient begged him to examine it, told him that it was a mineralogical curiosity, 
that diamonds were rarely found under those particular geological conditions, and, finally, 
begged his acceptance of the stone, adding that the gift was only valuable as a curiosity. One 
day it occured to the doctor to show his bit of blue clay to a jeweler and asked him to break 
up the lump and see how much of the glittering matter lay hidden from view. The jeweler 
advised against it, saying that they could see all there was of value in it, and that in break- 
ing up the lump of clay they would spoil a very interesting specimen. Dr. Playfair, however, 
insisted and the jeweler was astonished upon crushing the clay to bring to light a very val- 
uable diamond. Many a man and many a woman have been only useless lumps of clay until 
crushed under the hard hammer of affliction and trial, when the beautiful hidden diamond has 
been disclosed. 

MIGHTY LOVE. 535 

The power of love to lighten the heart of its burden, and to give men victories in hard 
places has seldom been more beautifully suggested than in these lines of Tennyson's: 

I know that this was Life — the track 

Whereon with equal feet we fared: 

And then, as now, the day prepared 
The daily burden for the back. 

But this it was that made me move 

As light as carrier-birds in air : 

I loved the weight I had to bear. 
Because it needed help of Love: 

Nor could I weary, heart or limb, 

When mighty Love would cleave in twain 
The lading of a single pain. 

And part it, giving half to him. 

PERISHABLE BANNERS. 536 

It has been noticed that most of the battle flags of the Civil War have already fallen into 
decay. Even the older "Boating flags," at Yale and Harvard, highly prized as trophies of 
equatic contests not more than forty years ago, are dropping to pieces, though made of the 
heaviest and most costly silks. Although cherished within glass cases, beyond the reach of 
settling dust or disturbing airs, the storied banners with their record of conflict and glory are 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

slowly perishing. There is one banner which shall not perish. It is the banner of the cross 
which the Christian carries. It shall grow brighter as an emblem of victory while the eternal 
years roll on their way. 

INEXHAUSTIBLE RESOURCES. 537 

The Christian has one promise that has no limit. Indeed there are many of them, but 
this is peculiarly comforting and fits every day's necessities as a well-made glove fits the hand. 
It is the promise that our strength shall be according to our day. Henry Stevenson Wash- 
burn illustrates it in a way to comfort the heart in a poem entitled "The Glad Assurance." 

Oft in hours of pain and conflict 

Come these gracious words to me. 
Full of tenderness and pity, — 

As thy day thy strength shall be. 

iNJot a sparrow ever falleth, 

Nor a lamb bewildered stray, 
But His loving arms infold them. 

As they shelter me to-day. 

Ere the bruised reed is broken 

He will deign to hear my prayer. 
That no trial shall befall me 

Greater than the heart can bear. 

In what way relief I plead for 

Is to come I may not see; 
'Tis enough, Divine Compassion 

Will the burden lift from me. 

Oh, the peace this promise bringeth ! 

All of doubt and fear aside. 
That my trusting heart may ever 

In His boundless love confide. 

THE EVAPORATION OF CHARACTER. 538 

Sir W. Roberts-Austen has discovered that if gold be placed underneath a column of 
lead, and the two be kept hot, though at a temperature well below that at which lead melts, 
the gold defuses itself in the lead, so that even in twenty-four hours an appreciable quan- 
tity of the gold can be detected in the lower portion of the lead. The gold passes into the 
lead as steam might pass into wood. The action is slow, but it is sure. We have suggested in 
this the importance of choosing our associations. No man is strong enough in his character 
to presume on his strength and be sure that intimate association with evil will have no de- 
basing effect on himself. 

THE HEAVENLY LADDER. 539. 

The story is told of a little child who on hearing read for the first time the dream of 
Jacob at Bethel, asked if the angels had to have a ladder and ^o step by step. Perhaps they 
do ; at any rate that's the order on earth ; one round at a time we are to climb, and the hori- 
zon widens as we climb. Some one sings our truth : 

222 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

I reach a duty, yet I do it not — 

And therefore see no higher ; but, if done, 
My view is brightened, and another spot 

Seen on my moral sun. 

For, be the duty high as angel's flight, 

Fulfil it, and a higher will arise, 
E'en from its ashes ; duty is infinite — 

Receding as the skies 1 

And thus it is; the purest most deplore 

Their want of purity ! As fold by fold. 
In duties done, falls from their eyes, the more 

Of duty they behold. 

Were it not wisdom, then, to close our eyes 

On duties crowding only to appal? 
No ! duty is our ladder to the skies, 

And, climbing not, we fall. 

THE FOLLY OF MAN. 540 

A scientific gentleman writing in Appleton's Popular Science Monthly relates that some 
years ago he read an article in a newspaper telling of a man catching a flock of crows by 
soaking corn in alcohol and leaving it for the crows to eat, and when they became drunk he 
caught them. This gentleman says he tried bread crumbs soaked in whiskey on English 
sparrows, but they would not eat them, and he finally got a crow, and, though he kept him 
until he was very hungry he could not get him to eat corn soaked in whiskey, and he found 
no difficulty in picking up every unsoaked kernal and leaving the others. Wise bird. Solo- 
mon said that "in vain is the net set in the sight of any bird." But a man will watch the net 
set and then go straight into it. There is no doubt about it that man, who was made to be 
the wisest of all the creatures on the earth, is the biggest fool of the lot when he yields him- 
self to be dominated by sin. 

LIVE TO-DAY. 541 

The brevity of life, the rapidly vanishing opportunity, the importance of striking at the 
moment, is strongly presented in this little poem by S. S. Shephard. 

O brother-man! life's little span 

Will soon be o'er; 
The opportunities it gives 

Will come no more. 
What of the deeds you should have done, 
The victories you should have won? 
The day declines — fast sinks the sun 

To western shore. 

O brother-man ! the Master seeks 

Today for men ; 
Cause not the Lord, by thy delay. 

To call again. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

Gigantic ills oppress the land — 
There's want and woe on every hand; 
For God and right take valiant stand — 
Be faithful then! 

O brother-man ! now is the time 

In which to live ; 
The Future is no mighty god 

With power to give. 
Do what thou hast to do today! 
From present needs turn not away! 
Let sloth nor ease cause no delay — 

Live! brother, livei 

THE HUMAN HARP. 542 

A recent writer says that on a certain occasion he listened to a harpist. The musician 
touched the strings with the skill of genius, and the listener surrendered himself to the divine 
influences which vibrated in the air. At one moment it seemed as though the world were 
filled with the rejoicings of victory, and he was uplifted. At another moment the sounds 
brought forth were drenched with tears. The listener's heart was broken, for he was in the 
dark, and even the stars were blotted out. But sorrow and joy alike were divine music — not 
the same kind of music, but music which made earth beautiful and heaven seem very near. 
The listener went away saying to himself, "The harp is the soul of man, and on it is played 
the vicissitudes of a human life. There are strains of peace and strains of grief, which fol- 
low each other in quick succession. I weep, I laugh, I struggle, I die. But to the heart that is 
attuned it is all music. The good God is over us all, and when the work day is over, and we 
are called to rest, we shall see that there is a meaning in it all." 

OVER THE RANGE. 543 

A poet tells of a little maiden who lived near a great mountain range. Her father and 
mother had died and gone away to heaven. A stranger asked, "Where are your father and 
mother?" She answered, "When people die they go to the country over the range." The 
poet continues: 

"And what is this country like, my lass?" 

"There are blossoming trees and pretty flowers, 
And shining creeks where the golden grass 

Is fresh and sweet from the summer showers. 
They never need work, nor want, nor weep ; 

No troubles can come their hearts to estrange. 
Some summer night I shall fall asleep. 

And wake in the country over the range." 
Child, you are wise in your simple trust. 

For the wisest man knows no more than you. 
Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust : 

Our views by a range are bounded too; 
But we know that God hath this gift in store, 

That when we come to the final change, 
We shall meet with our loved ones gone before 

To the beautiful country over the range. 
224. 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

THE BIBLE AS THE KEYSTONE OF ENGLISH STYLE. 544 

Cultivated young people are robbing themselves when they imagine that they have out- 
grown the Bible. Men and women of really great culture know that the Bible is the most 
important piece of literature in the world when measured simply as literature. Mr. J. H. 
Gardiner, in a recent magazine article, says that in all study of English literature, if there 
be any one axiom which every one has accepted without question, it is that the ultimate stand- 
ard of English prose style is set by the King James version of the Bible. For examples of lim- 
pid, convincing narrative we go to Genesis, to the story of Ruth, to the quiet earnestness of 
the Gospels; for the mingled argument and explanation and exhortation in which lies the 
highest power of the other side of literature, we go to the prophets, and still more to the 
Epistles of the New Testament, and for the glow of vehemence and feeling which burns away 
the limits between poetry and prose, and makes prose style at its highest pitch able to stand 
beside the stirring vibrations of verse, we go to the Psalms or the book of Job or the 
prophecies of Isaiah, or to the triumphant declaration of immortality in the Epistle to the 
Corinthians. If one were to figure the whole range of English prose style in the form of an 
arch, one would put the style of the Bible as its keystone ; and one would put it there not only 
because it is the highest point and culmination of prose writing, but also because it binds the 
whole structure together. 

THE EVER LIVING CHRIST. 545 

Lucy Larcom must have had in her thought those wonderful words of Jesus, "Because I 
live ye shall live also," when she wrote these verses : 

To Thy Beyond no fear I give; 

Because Thou livest, I live. 

Unsleeping Friend ! Why should I wake. 

Troublesome thought to take 

For any strange to-morrow? In Thy hand, 

Days and eternities like flowers expand. 

Odors from blossoming worlds unknown 

Across my path are blown ; 

Thy robes trail hither myrrh and spice 

From farthest paradise; 

A walk through Thy fair universe with Thee, 

And sun me in Thine immortality. 

THE VALUE OF COURTESY. 546 

A business man recently remarked that a great many public men have fallen because 
they have been discourteous to subordinates, to newsgathers. to voters, after election. On the 
other hand he declares that many have climbed to great height of power and reputation be- 
cause they paid careful attention to the civilities of life. People have long memories. They 
never forgive an affront to their personal sovereignty. The moment a public man so far for- 
gets the source of his power as to treat the humblest individual with scant courtesy, he 
places in action an engine for his own destruction. The highest courtesy springs from the 

225 



FRESB BAIT FOR 

heart, however, rather than the head. It takes no account of rank, or circumstance, or bene- 
fits to be derived. One of the direct appeals of the Bible to the Christian is "Be courteous." 

THE HEROES WHO FAIL. 547 

Not all the heroes are crowned in this world. A strong man has said that "To be great 
is to be misunderstood." That is often true here, but the truly great are always understood in 
heaven. God keeps an account and however failure may mark the path of the heroic soul on 
■its earthly pilgrimage, the crowning day shall surely come. Elizabeth Cardozo sings a sweet 
tribute to "The Unsuccessful," who deserve and will finally have success. 

We met them on the common way; 

They passed and gave no sign — 
The heroes that had lost the day^ 

The failures, half divine. 

Ranged in a guiet place, we see 

Their mighty ranks contain 
Figures too great for victory. 

Hearts too unspoiled for gain. 

Here are earth's splendid failures, come 

From glorious foughten fields ; 
Some bear the wounds of combat, some 

Are prone upon their shields. 

To us, that still do battle here. 

If we in aught prevail. 
Grant, God, a triumph not too dear, 

Or strength, like theirs to fail. 

THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD. 548 

It is only in Christ that we come to say with confident, trusting lips, "Our Father who 
art in Heaven." As another has well said, "Travel as far as you will, you cannot frame the 
v/ord Father until you cross the line of Christianity, and under no other roof can the soul 
feel at home as it does there. Christ shocked all preconceived notions and tore the specu- 
lations of men to tatters, but every century has brought us into closer relations with His 
thought and deepened the conviction that He revealed the finality of religion. Our eyes 
have been blinded with the dust of ages, and we have mistaken a creed for a religion, but 
the progress of simple and childlike faith as the beginning, mean and end of a Christian 
life has at last brought us to a clearer conception of God and made religion a grand and 
v/elcome and inspiring necessity." 

A RECEPTIVE SOUL. 549 

It is a great thing to walk out in nature in the summer days with a soul open to behold 

and receive impressions. How many who have eyes see not, and who having ears yet do 

not hear. Elizabeth Stuart Phelps has a little poem in which she reveals the power of the 

natural world to teach the responsive spirit. 

226 



FISHERS OF MEN, 



It was a weary hour. 
I looked on the lily-bell, 

How holy is the flower ! 
It leaned like an angel against the light; 
**0 soul !" it said, sighing, "be white, be white !' 

I stretched my arms for rest. 
I turned to the evening cloud — 

A vision how fair, how blest ! 
"Low heart !" it called softly, "arise and fly, 
It were yours to reach levels as high as I." 

I stooped to the hoary wave 
That wept on the darkening shore. 

It sobbed to me : "Oh, be brave ! 
Whatever you do, or dare, or will. 
Like me, go striving, unresting still." 



THE GOOD CROWDI'NG OUT THE BAD. 



550- 



The Christian idea of life is not of a man always standing on guard defending himself 
from invasion, but an aggressive, victorious knight who goes forth in chivalric spirit to save 
others. Paul says, "Walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh." The 
man who is given over to Christ has no time for the service of Satan. As some one has said, 
"I do no mean thing, because I am too big to do it. I lie not, because a lie has no place 
in my destiny. There is no room for wrong in my life, therefore I do the right, whatever the 
cost may be." 

CHILDHOOD ADRIFT. 

A little 4-year-old child strayed from her home near Liverpool, Perry County, Penn- 
sylvania, recently, and came unobserved to the bank of the Susquehanna River. A skiff was 
lightly beached on the shore, and the tiny little girl got into it. The jar loosened the boat 
from its hold and it drifted away. After several hours had elapsed the mother missed the 
child and instituted a search, but without success. She then thought of the river, and went 
to the place where the boat had been beached, and where she and the child had so often gone 
together. She was filled with horror to observe that the boat was not there, firmly believing 
that the child had been in it and had been carried away with it. After an all night search 
the child was found in the boat twenty miles away, and was returned to her almost dis- 
tracted mother, Alas, all the children who get adrift do not reach home again. There are 
dangers that beset children on all sides, and parents need to watch with ceaseless vigilance to 
save them from drifting away from the harbor of safety. (551 ) 

HANDS FIT FOR CHRIST'S SERVICE. 

E. G. Cherry sings a very beautiful song of the necessity of having hands clean and quiet 
and devoted if they are to work effectively for our Divine Lord. I am sure there is a mes- 
sage for many in this suggestive poem : 

22y 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

My hands were filled with many things 

That I did precious hold, 
Ks any treasure of a king's — 

Silver, or gems, or gold. 
The Master came and touched my hands 

(The scars were in His own). 
And at His feet my treasures sweet 

Fell shattered one by one. 
"I must have empty hands," said He, 
"Wherewith to work My works through thee." 

My hands were stained with marks of toil, 

Defiled with dust of earth; 
And I my work did ofttimes soil. 

And render little worth. 
The Master came and touched my hands, 

And crimson were his own ; 
But when, amazed, on mine I gazed, 

Lo ! every stain was gone. 
"I must have cleansed hands," said He, 
"Wherewith to work My works through thee." 

My hands were growing feverish, 

And cumbered with much care ! 
Trembling with haste and eagerness, 

Nor folded oft in prayer. 
The Master came and touched my hands, 

With healing in His own. 
And calm and still to do His will 

They grew — the fever gone. 
"I must have quiet hands," said He, 
"Wherewith to work My works through thee." 

My hands were strong in fancied strength, 

But not in power Divine, 
And bold to take up tasks at length 

That were not His but mine. 
The Master came and touched my hands, 

And might was in His own; 
But mine since then have powerless been. 

Save His are laid thereon. 
"And it is only thus," said He, 
"That I can work My works through thee." (S52) 

THE RANK OF HONEST MERIT. 
An English admiral writing in the National Review about the uniform of the English 
•soldiers in South Africa says that the dull drab color of the Khaki uniforms has, socially, an 
excellent leveling effect. Deference to military character or personality replaces the defer- 
ence to aristocratic rank, which he declares to be the bane of English life. The prince dis- 
appears in the officer or the man. Earned rank has its due. The admiral thinks that all Lon- 
don society would be better if it could be put into khaki for a term of years, so as to break 
down the snobbish adulation for rank and riches which now infects it. It might work well 
to try the same experiment in New York and Chicago. (553) 

228 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

WAITING FOR THE DAY. 
There is a beautiful Scripture which is often quoted to voice the hope of a soul sur- 
rounded by mystery and darkness, but having faith that there is a day beyond the clouds and 
the fog. Many have encouraged themselves with the sweet words, ''Until the day break and 
the shadow flee away." Some poet whose name I do not know has made it the theme of a 
comforting song: 

Waiting, we stand, 
And watching till our Saviour shall appear, 
Joyful to cry, as eastern skies grow clear, 
"The Lord's at hand." 

But now the night 
Presses around us, sullenly and chill ; 
Pain, doubt, and sorrow seem to have their will : 

Lord, send the light ! 

One after one, 
Thou hast called up our loved ones from our sight: 
For them we know that there is no more night; 

But we are lone. 

Weary we wait, 
Lifting our heavy eyes, bedimmed with tears. 
To skies where yet no trace of dawn appears : — 

Lord, it is late ! 

But yet Thy Word 
Saith, with sweet prophecy that cannot fail, 
That light o'er darkness shall at length prevail : — 

We trust Thee, Lord. 

O Morning Star 
Of heavenly promise! light our darkened way 
Till the first beams of the expected day 

Shine from afar. 

So will we take 
Fresh hope and courage to our fainting hearts, 
And patient wait, though every joy departs, 

*Till the day break."" (554) 

THE FRAILTY OF EARTHLY STRENGTH. 
A recent writer, Mr. H. W. Cartees Davis, recalls the wonderful stories that are told of 
the great physical strength of that famous emperor, Charlemagne. We are told that he 
could straighten four horseshoes joined together, which seems almost as great a feat as that 
when Sampson tore the young lion apart in the vineyard of Timnath. Charlemagne could 
lift with his right hand a fully equipped fighting man, clad in the heavy armor of the age ta 
the level of his head. His forehead was majestic, his nose like an eagle's beak. He had the 
eyes of a lion ; when he was angry they gleamed so that no man could look him in the face. 
And yet, he has been dust and ashes for these many hundred years. He made them bury 

22Q 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

liim with his crown on his head and his sceptre in his hand, but his power was gone all the 
same. It is only through the spiritual graces and through the good we have done that we may- 
hope to live and have power after we have passed away from earth. (555) 

THE DAY OF CHRIST'S TRIUMPH. 
In these days of wars and rumors of wars, of greed, and strife, and crime, it is good to 
look on through the hopefulness of Jesus to the day when His pure will shall reign over all. 
There is a beautiful picture of it in this little stray poem : 

These things shall be! a loftier race 

Than e'er the world hath known shall rise, 
With flame of freedom in their souls 

And light of knowledge in their eyes. 

They shall be gentle, brave, and strong, 

To spill no drop of blood, but dare 
All that may plant man's lordship firm, 

On earth, and fire, and sea, and air. 

Nation with nation, land with land, 

Unarmed shall live as comrades free; 
In every heart and brain shall throb 

The pulse of one fraternity. 

New arts shall bloom of loftier mould. 

And mightier music thrill the skies, 
And every life shall be a song 

When all the earth is paradise. (556) 

THE SINNER'S VULTURE. 

Mr. William Spencer Churchill, in the story of his escape from Pretoria, tells how he 
spent one day in the woods when he was very worn and tired and almost starved to death. 
The situation was one in which the bravest man might be depressed, and to make matters 
worse his sole companion was a gigantic vulture, who manifested an extravagant interest in 
his condition, and made hideous and ominous gurglings from time to time. The remorse and 
threatenings of conscience v/hich pursue men and women who give themselves over to a sin- 
ful course is like that. Sin has its hours of pleasure, but the shadow of the vulture is never 
long away. (SS7) 

SEEKING THE LOST. 

Richard F. Souter has a little poem entitled "Other Sheep," in which he tells the old old 
story of the shepherd's tender search for the lost sheep : 

De long night rain falls cold en ha'd, 

En it's wa'm inside de do' ; 

But de do' been shut en de do' been ba'd — 

Shut en ba'd fo' eve' mo'. 

Hit's bright en da, like de sunlight cla', 

Fo' de sheep what de Shephe'd guide; 

But de ain't no light shines out in de night. 

En it's always night outside. 

230' 



FISHERS OF MEN, 

Hain't no one's fault but jus' dey's own 

Dat dey comes da' so late; 

But dey ha'den deys hea't twel it like a stone 

As dey linger by de gate. 

En dey say right da' dat dey gwine to ba' 

All dat comes en not complain ; 

Yet hit's sad en slow dat dey tu'ns to go 

Out into de night en de rain. 

Den down de night en de gloomerin' sto'm 

A glimmerin' light appea's; 

En de win' blow sof en de win' blow wa'm, 

Like it wa'm wid some one's tea's. 

En de strong will shakes, en de proud hea't breaks, 

Fur, down dat mountain steep, 

De Shephe'd comes back from de wild'ness track 

Bearin' a po' los' sheep (558) 

ELECTRIC LIGHTS AT ST. PETER'S, ROME. 
On a recent great occasion, for the first time in the history of St. Peter's, electric light 
was used to illuminate that famous and historic church. The effect is said to have been mar- 
velous. All through the vast church the radiance was continued, and thousands of candles 
following the lines of architecture, and rows of lights encircled the dome where rosey cur- 
tains tempered the sunlight pouring through the windows. It seems wonderfully modern 
to think of the electric light in St. Peter's. May God hasten the day when the dark places of 
the Roman Catholic institution shall have the electric light turned on them, burning away 
all its superstitions, and making of it a purified and renovated Christian camp. (559) 

THE SOWER. 
If we would escape discouragement and do effectively the work God has for us in the 
world, we must not overlook the immortality and the marvelous power of every seed of 
truth sown in the hearts of men. Mrs. Preston sings a beautiful song in which she tells of 
the experiences of a missionary and the source of his comfort : 

From his home in an Eastern bungalow, 

In sight of the everlasting snow 

Of the grand Himalayas, row on row. 

Thus wrote my friend: 

'T had traveled far 
From the Afghan towers of Candahar, 
Through the sand-white plains of Sinde-Sagar ; 

"And once, when the daily march was o'er. 

As tired I sat in my tented door, 

Hope failed me, as never it failed before. 

"In swarming city, at wayside fane. 

By the Indus' bank, or the scorching plain, 

I had taught, — and my teaching all seemed vain. 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

*'No glimmer of light (I sighed) appears; 
The Moslem's fate and the Buddhist's fears 
Have gloomed their worship a thousand years. 

"For Christ and His truth I stand alone 

In the midst of millions; a sand-grain blown 

Against yon temple of ancient stone 

"As soon may level it! Faith forsook 
My soul as I turned on the pile to look; 
Then rising, my saddened way I took 

"To its lofty roof, for the cooler air; 

I gazed and marvelled; how crumbled were 

The walls I had deemed so firm and fair ! 

"For wedged in a rift of the massive stone, 
Most plainly rent by its roots alone, 
A beautiful peepul-tree had grown; 

"Whose gradual stress would still expand 

The crevice, and topple upon the sand 

The temple, while o'er its wreck would stand 

"The tree in its living verdure ! Who 

Could compass the thought? The bird that flew 

Hitherward, dropping a seed that grew, 

"Did more to shiver this ancient wall 
Than earthquake, war, simoon, or all 
The centuries in their lapse and fall. 

"Then I knelt by the riven granite there, 
And my soul shook off its weight of care, 
As my voice rose clear on the tropic air. 

"The living seeds I have dropped remain 

In the cleft; Lord, quicken with dew and rain. 

Then temple and mosque shall be rent in twain." 

CHRIST'S MESSENGERS. 

A writer in a recent number of Harper's Magazine relates many interesting stories of the 
growth and importance of the war correspondent. He says that, the "special" of a great 
journal has the world as his field of operations. One month he is witnessing the triumph of 
modern artillery in a battle between a Chinese and a Japanese fleet ; the next he is tracing the 
ways of Russian diplomacy in Peking. Soon afterward he may be hurrying off to a minor 
rebellion in South America or picturing a phase of the struggle between East and West in 
the Balkans, 

He wakes up each morning conscious that before night he may be off on a journey of 
ten thousand miles. His preparations for long travel are always made. One special artist, 
Mr. Melton Prior, has two outfits ready at home, which he calls his "hot" and his "cold" 

232 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

outfits. If his editor asks him to take the afternoon boat express to St. Petersburg and go 
from there to Nova Zembla, he has only to send a brief wire home, "Please bring cold bag 
Charing Cross, 12 midday," and he is ready. If Timbuctoo is his destination he needs only 
substitute "hot" for "cold." In the office of one Londan daily paper a bag is kept always 
ready for any man who has instantly to go off to the ends of the earth. Such preparations 
are necessary. Take one instance alone. Last Autumn Mr. H. S. Pearse, the well-known 
correspondent of the London Daily News, strolled late one evening into his office. "Things 
are looking more serious in South Africa. You had better get out as soon as possible." "I'll 
just have time to catch the train for the South African mail," he replied. He caught his 
train, and within three weeks was in the battlefields of Natal. The early Christian ministers 
were like that. Peter went to preach to Cornelius and Paul to Macedonia on calls like that. 
Modern Christians need to be careful not to forget that every disciple of Christ should be a 
"minute man" for his Lord. (561) 

THE CHRISTIAN'S PURPOSE. 
Dr. E. H. Ela, of Boston, sings a strong note in a poem written on his birthday and 
looking out on the remaining years of life. There ought to be courage in it for all of us, old 
or young: 

An engine, strong, compact, of living steel. 

Bearing with steady pulse its laden train. 

Heavy with harvest of the prairie grain — 
The ministry of earth to human weal — 
Right on, with ceaseless whirl of tireless wheel 

Through mountain gorge, valley, or spreading plain, 

To where some harbor opens to the main. 
Full speed, full fraught, full strength, to quay and keel. 

Such be my life along the track of time. 
By fire of love impelled and force of will, 

With speed unstayed, unhalting, fearless, free, 
Laden with garner of each year and clime, 
Till by the uncharted sea its wheels stand still 
Whose farther shore we call eternity. (562) 

A GENUINE LIFE. 
It is not every one who is aware that a Bank of England note is not of the same thick- 
ness all through. The paper is thicker in the left hand corner, to enable it to retain a 
keener impression of the vignette there; and it is also considerable thicker in the dark 
shadows of the center letters and beneath the figures at the ends. Counterfeit notes are easily 
discovered because they are invariably of one thickness only throughout. So hypocritical 
lives have often greater outward uniformity than those of the most genuine men and women. 
It is not uniformity of outward conduct but genuineness and sincerity of purpose and motive 
that makes both the bank note and the man or the woman valuable. (563) 

LEAVE THE MIRACLE TO CHRIST. 
God does not ask us to perform miracles. All he asks of us is that we do the best we can 
out of what we've got. If we will do that Christ will take care of results. Some poet puts it 
aptly in these verses : 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

Bring to Christ your loaves and fishes, 
Though they be both few and small; 

He will use the weakest vessels. 

Give to Him your little all. 
Do you ask how many thousands 

Can be fed with food so slim ? 
Listen to the Master's blessing; 

Leave the Miracle to Him! 

O ye Christians, learn the lesson. 

Are you struggling all the way? 
Cease your trying, change to trusting, 

Then you'll triumph every day. 
"Whatsoe'er He bids you, do it!" 

Fill the waterpots to brim; 

But remember, 'tis his battle; 

*^ Leave the miracle to Him! 

Christian worker, looking forward 

To the ripened harvest field, 
Does the task seem great before you? 

Think how rich will be the yield! 
Bravely enter with your Master, 

Though the prospect may seem dim; 
Preach the Word with holy fervor; 

Leave the miracle to Him ! (564) 

SURRENDERING TO JESUS. 
Two young boys, each 15 years old, were out sailing recently on Long Island Sound. 
They were about half a mile off shore when a heavy squall came up suddenly and capsized 
their boat. One of the boys did not know how to swim, but the other was an expert. As 
soon as the swimmer came to the surface he looked for his companion. As soon as he came 
up he grabbed him, but before trying to swim with him warned him that he must make no 
struggle. The half-drowned boy, with remarkable presence of mind, yielded himself com- 
pletely to his friend, who swam with him to the overturned boat and saved his life. M'cn who 
have been overtaken by evil and are half-drowned in sin can only yield themselves 10 Christ. 
He will save us if we surrender ourselves completely to Him. (565) 

COPYING CHRIST. 
An unknown poet has written a very striking poem illustrating how we may copy the 
character and conduct of Jesus. 

I saw a child the other day, 

At copy set, 
Its eyes did often rove and stray. 

Its mind forget. 
The first line was full fairly writ, 

Not so the second ; 
The next was worse, worse following it. 

Last, worst, I reckoned. 
Still ranging from the copy there proposed, 
It fed itself with errors till it closed. 

234 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

There saw I pattern of my own behavior: 

Thus have I strayed : 
When first I loved, I copied close my Saviour, 

His life, my aid. 
But since to me, myself has been my standard, 

I mark decline. 
Still falling as from Him I further wandered, 

Worse ea^ii life's line. 
So I discerned my life could ne'er be true 
But by returning to where first it grew. 

I saw a painter copying a face; 

Ever and still, 
His eye upon his model's form and grace 

Took constant fill. 
Beneath his hand I saw the likeness grow 

As still he traced 
Each feature, or — did but least error show, 

At once erased, 
I learned that likeness is by looking learned, 
And the hand follows where the eye is turned. 

Thus then, I said, I'll gaze upon my Lord 

And know His face. 
That so my motives in a blest accord 

May, by His grace, 
Fashion a life growing in every feature 

Like Him I love. 
So that, within, without, another creature. 

Taught from above, 
L copying Him and growing in His grace. 
May in His likeness live, then see Him face to face. (S66) 

TAMING THE WOLF IN MAN. 
How St. Francis tamed the wolf of Gubio is the most famous, if not altogether the most 
credible, of the animal stories related of him. That wolf was a quadruped without morals.; 
not only had he eaten kids, but also men. All attempts to kill him failed, and the townsfolk 
were afraid of venturing outside the walls even in broad daylight. One day St. Francis, 
against the advice of all, went out to have a serious talk with the wolf. He soon found him, 
and "Brother Wolf," he said, "you have eaten not only animals, but men made in the image 
of God, and certainly you deserve the gallows; nevertheless, I wish to make peace between 
you and these people. Brother Wolf, so that you may offend them no more, and neither they 
nor their dogs shall attack you." The wolf seemed to agree, but the saint wished to have a 
distinct proof of his solemn engagement to fulfill his part in the peace, whereupon the wolf 
stood up on his hind legs and laid his paw on the saint's hand. Francis then promised that 
the wolf should be properly fed for the rest of his days, "for well I know," he said, kindly, 
"that all your evil deeds were caused by hunger" — upon which text several sermons might be 
preached, for truly many a sinner may be reformed by a good dinner and by nothing else. The 
contract was kept on both si<les, and the wolf lived happily for two years, at the end of which 
he died of old age, sincerely mourned by all the inhabitants. 

235 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

However lightly one may think of the old legend it suggests a great truth, that many 
a man despoiled by sin is given over as hopeless whose wolf-like nature might be tamed and 
transformed if we did but try in the spirit of Christ. (567) 

THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 
Frederick E. Weatherly in his "Song of the Armenian Shepherd," portrays most beau- 
tifully the spirit which ought to pervade every Christian heart and home. 

One by one the stars arise 

In the meadows of the skies; 

One by one, all white and still, 

Rest my sheep on yonder hill. 

Now I lay my crook away, 

Toil is over with the day ; 

Kneeling at my frugal board, 

Break the bread, and bless the Lord. 

Lord, look on me and on us all, 

And make us blest, 

And send us rest, 
At this and every evenfall ! 

All the day, afar from me, 
They have wandered wild and free ; 
All the day I followed still. 
Rock to rock and hill to hill, 
Calling down the gorges deep, 
"Come ye back, my wandering sheep," 
Till at eve I brought them home, 
Safe in fold, no more to roam ! 

Lord, do thus much for me and all, 

And when we stray 

From thy good way, 
O fetch us home at evenfall! (568) 

THE SPIRITUAL TREE. 
The Whitefield elm, a brother and contemporary of the Boston and Washington elms, 
has recently been cut down at Wilmington, Massachusetts. The Rev. George Whitefield, the 
great English evangelist, on one of his visits to this country preached to the people under 
this tree after he had been refused the use of the pulpit of the church. Some years ago the 
tree, feeble with age, was struck by lightning, which pierced its very heart, and gave it a 
shock from which it could not recover. At the outbreak of the Revolution the tree had a 
mate but it was destroyed in a gale many years ago. Although the tree under which White- 
field preached dies, the spiritual tree represented in his own character, and the trees that 
are growing all around the world which have come up as the results of his great work for 
Christ and humanity were never more alive than now and in the great day of eternity what 
a forest of them there will be to wave their branches in rejoicing at the name of White- 
field. (569) 

236 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

THE SECRET OF DORCAS. 

George MacDonald, who is not only a famous novelist and preacher, but also a poet, has 
a pretty song which tells how Dorcas began to make her garment for the poor. 

If I might guess, then guess I would: 

Amid the gathered folk 
This gentle ]Dorcas one day stood. 

And heard what Jesus spoke. 

Her eyes with longing tears grow dim : 

She never can come nigh 
To work one service poor for him 

For whom she glad would die ! 

But hark ! he speaks a mighty word : 

She hearkens now indeed ! 
"When did we see thee naked. Lord, 

And clothed thee in thy need?" 

''The King shall answer, Inasmuch 

As to my brothers ye 
Did it, — even to the least of such, — 

Ye did it unto me." 

Home, home she went, and plied the loom. 

And Jesus' poor arrayed. 
She died : they wept about the room, 

And showed the coats she made. (S7o) 

LIVING GRATEFULLY. 
President McKinley always wears a pink carnation in his button hole. His carnations 
grow in the White House conservatory and are Mrs. McKinley's chiefest pride. One is al- 
ways laid by his dress suit for dinner and one by his frock coat in the morning. When he is 
traveling his secretary attends to it. It is the President's custom in traveling to always give 
this button hole carnation to the engineer of the locomotive behind which he travels. When 
he alights from his private coach at the station he walks up the platform until he reaches the 
huge machine. From the cab window leans the engineer, his sooty face beaming, hesitant, 
expectant. The President stops just an instant, that the action may not attract the slightest 
attention, and hands the pink flower into the grimy hands with a very low, "I sincerely thank 
you for your skill and my safety." It is a pretty custom and we ought all of us to live thus 
gratefully toward all those who contribute to our safety and happiness. It would add great- 
ly to the sum of human joy. (57i) 

GOD'S GREAT INDEPENDENCE BELL. 
The Rev. Dr. B. B. Hamlin once said in a sermon "The Bible is God's great inde- 
pendence bell, forever swinging in the dome of the universe." Mrs. Lucy A. Spotswood has 
taken the thought as the theme for a poem, the last three verses are peculiarly strong as a 
tribute to the Bible. 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

Now wide thy sweep, O wondrous bell ! 
From east to west the echoes swell — 
Ring out, ring out thy mightiest tone, 
'Mid rending vail, and dying groan — 
Ring out, "The people now are free, 
The Christ has died on Calvary." 

Ring, ringers, ring with heart and hand — 
Send this glad music through the land; 
Till every slumb'ring echo wakes. 
And plumage of the morning takes, 
To tell the bond-man he is free ; 
For Christ has died on Calvary. 

Ring, ringers, ring, ring with a will, 

And all the world with music fill — 

Ring, till the notes to heaven ascend, 

And with the song of angels blend 

In one grand shout — "The glory be 

To Him who died on Calvary." (572) 

READY FOR SERVICE. 

Captain F. W. Dickens, of the battleship Indiana, while recently showing a visitor 
through the ship made the remark that the Indiana was ready for service at a moment's 
notice, and he would gladly welcome the change of scene. Little did he think at that time 
that the call would come so soon, but in a few hours a telegram arrived from Washington, 
ordering both the Indiana and Massachusetts to prepare at once for their departure. 

Forty hours after this order was given the two great ships, with their crews completed 
and with provisions for months of cruising, were on their way down the Delaware. All the 
delay was due to waiting for the men — the ships were all ready. In less than forty-eight 
hours more they had been at Newport News, had taken a thousand tons of coal each, and were 
speeding on their way to join the fleet at Newport. 

It was the quickest work of the kind ever done in the history of our navy, and no better 
record has ever been made by the navy of any other nation. 

Every church of Jesus Christ ought to be as watchful and alert as that and her captain 
and crew always ready to clear for action in any good service they may be called upon to 
perform. {^7Z) 

THE LOST SILVER. 

Elizabeth Waterhouse sings the essence of the gospel story of salvation in her little 
poem entitled "Three Parables." 

I was not resolute in heart and will 

To rise up suddenly and seek Thy face. 

Leaving the swine-husks in the desert place, 
And crying, "I have sinned, receive me still !" 

I could not even at the Shepherd's voice 

Startle and thrill, with yearnings for the fold, 

Till he should take me in his blessed hold, 
And lay me on his shoulder and rejoice. 

138 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

But lying silent, will-less in the dark, 

A little piece of silver, lost from Thee, 

I only knew Thy hands were seeking me, 
And that I bore through all Thy heavenly mark. (574) 

A PRESENT HELL. 
Dr. George H. Hepworth in one of his recent New York Herald sermons says: 
"I am asked every now and again if I believe in hell. I have never known a man who did 
not believe in it. It is not possible for any one of ordinary intelligence to deny the fact. For 
myself, I have been in more than one hell during my long experience, and as I look about the 
world I see others who have not yet escaped from it. Sin, with its attendant remorse, its 
ghastly regrets, its overwhelming sense of un worthiness, its spectral fears — what is all this 
but hell? Certainly it is not heaven, but the very opposite. One need not think of hell as 
in the future, because it is all about us, and souls that are drowning their better selves in 
dissipation are in it without perhaps knowing it. By and by, long before their career is 
closed, when they recognize the fact that they have wasted divine energy on folly, they will 
see that they have literally made th«.ir bed in hell." (575) 

THE GLORY OF FAILURE. 

It is often as noble to fail as it is to win. The deposit of manhood or womanhood in 
character is just the same if the battle has been bravely and honestly fought Alice Van 
Vliet makes this very plain in these verses: 

We who have lost the battle 

To you who have fought and won : 
Give ye good cheer and greeting! 

Stoutly and bravely done ! 

Reach us a hand in passing, 

Comrades, — and own the name! 
Yours is the thrill and the laurel : 

Ours is the smart and shame. 

Though we were nothing skillful. 

Pity us not nor scorn 1 
Send us a hail as hearty — 

"Stoutly and bravely borne!" 

Others may scorn or pity; 

You who are soldiers know. 
Where was the joy of your battle, 

Save in the grip with the foe? 

Did we not stand to the conflict. 

Did we not fairly fall? 
Is it your crowns ye care for? 

Nay, to have fought is all. 

Humbled and sore we watch you, 

Cheerful and bruised and lamed. 
Take the applause of the conquered — 

Conquered and unashamed! (576) 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

PAIN AND PROGRESS. 

A recent writer in the Independent says that when modern science began to examine 
critically the ladder by which man has climbed to his present position it was found that every 
step was stained with blood. 

A hundred men labored and sweat that one might rise. It was an awful revelation, that 
of science fifty years ago. No wonder that it wrove men insane; made them pessimists, 
atheists. If science had stopped here it would have been a gospel of despair. 

But it did not stop; another step changed it to a gospel of hope. It was discovered that 
this suffering, that looked to a casual glance like an impediment to progress, was really its 
cause ; that pain was the mainspring of the universe ; that war was the mother of all things, 
as the Greek had said long ago; that the rod of affliction was the modeling tool by which 
God created all living things ; that there could have been no happiness now if there had been 
no suffering in the past; that joy is the offspring of sorrow, out of war comes peace and 
through death comes life. This changed the whole view. It put optimism in the place of 
pessimism. Man could see the uses of adversity. {.V71^ 

THE JOY OF THE HILLS. 

In a physical way many men are saying these summer days what David said with a 
higher meaning, "I will lift mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help." The 
freedom of country life and the glory of nature is very strongly described in Edwin Mark- 
ham's poem entitled, "The Joy of the Hills." 

I ride on the mountain tops, I ride ; 
I have found my life and am satisfied. 
Onward I ride in the blowing oats. 
Checking the field-lark's rippling notes — 

Lightly 1 sweep 

From steep to steep: 
Over my head through the branches high 
Come glimpses of a rushing sky; 
The tall oats brush my horse's flanks; 
A bee looms out of the scented grass; 
A jay laughs with me as I pass. 

I ride on the hills, I forgive, I forget 
Life's hoard of regret — 
All the terror and pain 
Of the chafing chain. 
Grind on, O cities, grind: 
I leave you a blur behind, 

I am lifted elate — the skies expand: 
Here the world's heaped gold is a pile of sand. 
Let them weary and work in their narrow walls : 
I ride with the voices of waterfalls ! 

I swing on as one in a dream — I swing 

Down the airy hollows, I shout, I sing ! 

The world is gone like an empty word: 

My body's a bough in the wind, my heart a bird ! (578) 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

LIVING IN RUTS. 

It is very necessary to be on the watch that life be not narrowed and limited in its 
powers through the daily repetition of the same acts in the same way. A man who thinks 
and does the same things over and over again day after day, and year after year, is in 
danger of becoming simply an automatic machine. The danger is that the thoughts will be- 
come cramped and that j^rejudices will spring up against everybody outside of the rut in 
which he lives. If continued long enough these prejudices become so strong that it seems 
impossible to eradicate them. This is one of the great dangers to the sinner. The wicked 
habit is a rut which gets deeper and deeper every time the wrong deed is performed. Christ 
lifts the sinner out of the rut and puts him on the broad highway of holiness. (579) 

A MOTHER'S LOVE. 

An unknown poet sings of the mother's anxious search in the face of the grown-up man 
for some trace of the little babe that she once held in her arms. 

Within her fond, encircling arm 

Safe slept her little child — 
A helpless wight, sweet-breathed and warm, 
Her eager look down-bent to scan 

That face, all lovely innocence, 
The features of the full-grown man 

She seized on with prophetic sense — 
Foresaw the hero that should be 
Clothed in his manhood's majesty, 

And seeing smiled. 

Relaxed in every massive limb, 

The man, sore wearied, sleeps ; 
His bearded cheek is rough and grim. 
She. hovering near him wistfully, 

And gazing long, is fain to trace 

One line of childhood's purity 

In that toil-marred, world-hardened face. 
Now once again she feels and sees 
Her nursling warm upon her knees, 

And seeing, weeps. (580) 

AN ANSWERED PRAYER. 
Max O'Rell (Paul Blouet), who has recently been in this country, tells a good story at 
his own expense : "I was lecturing to the students of a religious college." said O'Rell ; *'but, 
before I began, one of the professors, a very solemn man, stepped forward and oflfered a 
prayer, in which he asked the Lord to permit the audience to see the point of my jokes. This 
was the petition, as it fell upon my astonished ears, and it impressed me so much that I af- 
terwards wrote it down as a souvenir or keepsake: *0 Lord,' said the petitioner, 'Thou 
knowest that we work hard for Thee, and that recreation is necessary in order that we may 
work with renewed vigor. We have to-night with us a gentleman from France, whose 
criticisms are witty and refined, but subtle; and we pray Thee to so prepare our minds that 

24.1 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

we may thoroughly understand and enjoy them.' I am still wondering," said O'Rell, "whether 
my lectures are so subtle as to need praying over, or whether those particular auditors were 
so dull that they needed Divine assistance to help them out. Of one thing I am morally cer- 
tain — that they showed, by their appreciation, that the professor's prayer was not in vain." 

(581) 
THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE. 

To-day ever stands Godfather for to-morrow. Our to-morrow is always largely dictated 
by our to-day. St. John Adock beautifully illustrates this in his little poem entitled "Re- 
membrance." 

We shape the future that shall be our past 

And press to-day the wine we drink at last; 

And sweet or sour at last the cup we fill. 

Or dark our way or starry, as we will. 

For nothing we can ever do or think 
But we shall taste it in that cup we drink; 
And all we do to-day or leave undone 
Darkens or clears to-morrow's cloud or sun. 

Each word of love withheld from hearts that pine 
Shall be a sweetness absent from the wine; 
Scorn blights whatever feels the touch of it 
And love unspoken leaves a star unlit. 

But every kindly act and word shall rise 

And write its silent record on the skies, 

And so, before us and behind us far, 

Make the night brighter by another star. (5827 

CASTLES IN THE AIR. 

A recent writer in the Baltimore Sun clearly sets forth the important truth that an un- 
bridled imagination which is allowed to set up unattainable ideas may be a source of unhap- 
piness because it pictures conditions never realized; but on the other hand a well-ordered 
imagination only serves to gild reality. Much of the happiness of youth is derived from joy- 
ous anticipation of the future, from the building of castles in the air. It is wise for the 
young man or the young woman to set before himself or herself an ideal toward which they 
may struggle until it becomes a reality. When that ideal has vanished because it has be- 
come real still another farthej on and higher up will appeal to the dreamer's heart. High 
ideals are essential to progress and great achievement. (583) 

THE HOUSE OF TOO MUCH TROUBLE. 

Some poet has written a realistic picture of the sad results which often come from re- 
garding the home of more importance than the souls that are to be built up in it. It comes 
out clear in this poem of childhood entitled "In the House of Too Much Trouble." I am 
sorry for any child that has to grow up in that house. The freedom of a frontier log cabin 
is a thousand times better than such a house though it be a mansion of Fifth A enue. 

242 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

In the House of Too Much Trouble 

Lived a lonely little boy; 
He was eager for a playmate, 

He was hungry for a toy, 
But 'twas always too much bother, 

Too much dirt and too much noise. 
For the House of Too Much Trouble 

Wasn't meant for little boys. 

And sometimes the little fellow 

Left a book upon the floor, 
Or forgot and laughed too loudly. 

Or he failed to close the door. 
In a House of Too Much Trouble 

Things much be precise and trim — 
In the House of Too Much Trouble 

There was little room for him. 

He must never scatter playthings, 

He must never romp and play; 
Every room must be in order 

And kept quiet all the day. 
He had never had companions. 

He had never owned a pet — 
In the House of Too Much Trouble 

It is trim and quiet yet. 

Ev'ry room is set in order — 

Ev'ry book is in its place, 
And the lonely little fellow 

Wears a smile upon his face. 
In the House of Too Much Trouble 

He is silent and at rest — 
In the House of Too Much Trouble, 

With a lily on his breast. (584) 

A LEGEND OF THE MOSS ROSE. 

A pretty legend ascribes to an angel's gift the extra beauty possessed by the moss rose, 
veiled with its mantle of green. The angel, grateful for the protection of a rose bush, asked 
the rose what gift it desired in return. The rose desired the angel to bestow another grace 
upon it, and the flower in a moment was covered with moss. Of the flower's lineage an old 
legend says: "I came from nectar spilled from heaven;" and in the Garden of Gethsemane, 
where Jesus sorrowed alone, the rose bloomed as it still does in fragrance and beauty. 

Heaven has rich blessings yet for all who give shelter to God's angels, whether they 
come in glorious form or meet us shabby and in trouble. Now, as in olden time, many a 
loving heart entertains angels unawares. (585) 

FLOWERS IN CHURCH. 
Flowers in tasteful quantity and arrangement are always conducive to the worshipful 
spirit. Among the many poets who have sung of the flowers, none has shown greater tender- 
ness than Mrs. Hemans. I quote a beautiful verse from her poem entitled "Bring Flowers :*'' 

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FRESH BAIT FOR 

"Bring flowers to the shrine where we kneel in prayer, 

They are Nature's offering, their place is there! 

They speak of hope to the fainting heart, 

With a voice of promise they come and part, 

They sleep in dust in the wintry hours, 

They break forth in glory — bring flowers, bright flowers." (586) 

FRAGRANCE IN OLD AGE. 
Many of the worn-out farms of Virginia, principally in Albamarle and surrounding 
counties, of late have been turned to good account by their owners, who have directed their 
attention to violet growing. The violet industry is spreading rapidly in that section and the 
growers are receiving substantial returns. They find this new industry more profitable on 
land that has long been used than ordinary farming. It seems to me there is a very beau- 
tiful suggestion in that incident. It is the way Christians should grow old. There comes a 
time in the twilight of old age when the ordinary crops of human toil can not be culti- 
vated. But no aged Christian if they yield their hearts in sweet communion with Christ 
need fail of their crop of spiritual violets up to the very last. Nothing is more beautiful 
than old age when it sends forth a Christian fragrance. (587) 

PRISONERS OF HOPE. 
Christian Burke in his strong poem, "A Prisoner of Hope," sings of the courage Christ- 
ianity gives to those who have been active and strong but now are compelled to sit idle be- 
hind the prison walls of weakness and affliction. 

To sit and watch in the lonely house 

Whence others have risen and gone their way — 
So hush'd and still that the wainscot mouse 

Creeps out on my hearth to play; 
To hear the hurrying folk go by. 

Their echoing feet the silence fill — 
The world is busy enough, but I 

In the midst of it all sit still ! 

To wait, tho' the tide runs far and fast. 

To share the story, yet turn no page. 
To dwell in the heart of a vanished Past 

With friends of a bygone age; 
The living about mc come and go, 

But these have done with earth's toils and tears, 
And I follow with faltering step and slow, 

In the wake of the tedious years. 

A broken weapon that's flung aside, 

A worn-out tool for which none need care — 
Sometimes I fancy I must have died. 

And that only a ghost sits there! 
Yet the Dead no longer can feel the strain 

Of the nerveless hand and the powerless limb. 
And the weariness even worse than pain 

That comes when Life's lamp burns dim! 

244. 



FISNERSOF MEN. 

Often I think the hour of dawn, 

When the faint light glimmers on wall and floor, 
And the curtains of night are half withdrawn, 

Is the worst in the twenty-four ! 
How long will it be ere the tardy gleam 

Of sunset fires the golden west? 
It is less hard then just to watch and dream 

When even the toilers rest. 

And when stars come out o'er the twilight sea 

There falls on my soul a peace profound, 
As I think of a Hand that once set free 

The Spirits in Prison bound; 
One day He will burst these bonds of mine — 

And perchance there is good work yet undone 
He is keeping for me in His Love divine 

In the Land beyond the Sun ! (588) 

RIVER CURRENT OR HOLLOW LOG— WHICH? 

Some of the men employed in the large sawmills near Clinton, Iowa, enjoyed rare 
sport not long ago in the way of catching some of the immense river catfish in the hollow 
logs floating in the river, which seemed to be the favorite haunt of these fish. When the 
men at the logway discover a hollow log, it is started up the runway, hollow end first to pre- 
vent the fish from spilling out. The logs are turned up on end after they are safe on the 
land and the fish are dumped out. In every profession and department of life you will find 
men who remind you of those catfish. Instead of the broad river current they are always 
running into some hollow log. They never can understand that the safest possible place in 
God's world is to keep in the open current of life and struggle and do one's duty without 
fear or favor. (589) 

A FATHER'S LOVE. 

Many a man has felt on the birth of his first child what Richard Realf so beautifully 
describes in these lines : 

O earth is full of lovely things 

Which our dear Father-God has made, 
Of buds and blooms and gleaming wings, 

And bursts of light and depths of shade. 
O, thick across the purple skies 

The wondrous flashing stars arc strewn, 
And bright with cherub-children's eyes 

The glowing world is overgrown. 

But never, in the woods at noon, 

Or underneath the stars at night. 
Or in the low sweet vales of June, 

Or on the mountain's upper hight — 
O, never thrilled my blood so much. 

And never leaped my heart so wild, 
As when I bowed my head to touch 

The sweet lips of my first-born child. 

H5 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

Ah ! and I know that evermore 

I have held higher talk with heaven, 
In deeper whispers than before 

That large new blessedness was given. 
I could not part her precious hair, 

Nor look upon her sacred eyes, 
And not within my full soul swear 

To mark her steps in Paradise. 

I hear her low voice in the hall, 

Her liquid laugh among the flowers; 
And pulse leaps unto pulse, and all 

My life goes seeking her for hours. 
And when she rises to my knee 

And lightly nestles toward my cheek 
With love that clings so utterly, 

I clasp her, but I cannot speak. 

O, mid the tumult of the town, 

The etre, the canker and the doubt, 
And when the flaming sun goes down, 

And when the holy stars are out; 
In the great stillness of the night. 

And in the front of garish day, 
She wraps me like a robe of light. 

And turns to spirit all my clay. 

God bless my child! I never knew 

Life's vastness until she was born. 
God bless my child ! and keep her true 

Through all her deeper-widening morn. 
O, reach thy hand out through the years 

And hold her near thee undefiled; 
And give her oil of joys for tears. 

And, Father, Father, bless my child ! (S9o) 

THE SIN DANCE. 

A correspondent writing from Manila tells how the finding of the body of a woman lying 
dead in a ditch near San Lazaro started an investigation which brought to light one of the 
horrid customs of the Filipinos. The woman had died during the penitent dance, which is 
known as the "sin dance" on Good Friday, and in so doing had disgraced herself to the ex- 
tent that her relatives had refused to have anything to do with her after her death. The 
native priests have encouraged this relic of barbarity. Men, women and children indulge in 
the dance with a view of obtaining expiation for the sins of the year. Sin is a terrible real- 
ity and the awful consciousness of it torments men of all races and peoples. Surely the 
angels did well when they declared that Christ came as "good tidings" to a sinful world. 
The Christian church must make all the Filipinos hear this good news. (SPi) 

ALL IN ALL. 

The Scriptures that declare that Christ is "all in all" and that we "are complete in Him'* 
are well illustrated in Emma Dowd's poetic prayer entitled "Be Thou My All." 

246 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

Be thou my Friend, my close Companion ever! 

Earth's paths diverge as comrades onward wend; 
Friends may depart, but thou, O, leave me never ! 
Be thou my Friend! 

Be thou my Guide through darkness and through light. 

In even the sunniest way may danger hide. 
Thy feet have trod my road. By day, by night, 
Be thou my Guide ! 

Be thou my King ! Let me know what to do 

That all my hours may serve some goodly thing; 
Command my life and keep me loyal, true! 
Be thou my King! 

Be thou my Saviour! Pardon all my sin. 

I gfrieve o'er broken laws and wrong behavor; 
Without thee Heaven I cannot hope to win, 
Be thou my Saviour! 

Be thou my Strength! Heavy am I with weakness. 

In thee alone can I be strong at length. 
Help me to lean on thee in trust and meekness, 
Be thou my Strength ! 

Be thou my Life! No other one can feed me, 

I faint, weary and worn with pain and strife; 
Where living waters flow, O, gently lead m^ ! 
Be thou my Life ! 

Be thou my All ! Terrors sometimes enfold me ; 

The vasts of thy great universe appall. 
Closer to thy dear heart, O, closer hold me, 

Be thou my All! (592) 

PROUD OF THEIR SCARS. 
A recent visitor to Germany speaks with disgust of the cutting and slashing among the 
German college boys in the frequent duels. Half the young men one meets in the streets, 
says this traveler, have their faces decorated with unconventional designs of scars. One day 
at luncheon a student sat near him his profile turned toward him. The traveller counted six 
fresh scars on the side of the face he could see. They parade their scars and are actually 
proud of them. Some people so sear their consciences that they become proud of the scars 
of their sins which are really a badge of shame. A man is pretty well handcuffed to the devil 
when he parades the scars sin have left on him. (S93) 

THE SONG IN THE NIGHT. 
The devil has sometimes songs for youth and morning but it is only God who gives songs 
in the night of trial and old age. The Psalmist says, "And in the night his song shall be 
with me." C. H. Polhemus elaborates this in a comforting way in his little poem entitled "A 
Midnight Song." 

247 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

I stood in the darkness of midnight, 

Not a star-gleam illumined the sky, 
And the stillness of death palled the landscape, 

And no human companion was nigh. 

But while in the gloom I stood musing, 

A sound low and sweet met my ear, 
That louder and louder resounded 

From the leaf-embowered canopy near. 

It was one of God's dear little songsters 
^Cheering mighnight's dark hours with its Ijys; 
Not a care for the future enthralled it. 
Or suppressed its sweet carols of praise. 

So teach me, my Father, to praise Thee 

When my sky is overshadowed with clouds; 
For why should Thy children distrust Thee, 

Or travel in grief's somber shrouds? 

Tho sorrows, afflictions, temptations 

Would embitter my soul with their blight, 
I will lean on the Arms Everlasting, 

And will sing to my God in the night. (594) 

CENTIPEDES IN THE STATE HOUSE. 

A recent traveller in Texas says that the magnificent granite State Capitol at Austin, 
Texas, has become infested with centipedes of great size. These poisonous insects are said 
to be found in every department of the state government. They have been found in the cor- 
ridors, in the Governor's private office and in the treasury vaults. More dangerous things 
than centipedes however are often found in State Capitol buildings nowadays. Men who buy 
votes, and men who engineer giant steals, and others who seek to make the law weak so that 
it may be evaded by panderers to lust and passion. Many a Northern State House could well 
afford to trade off these creatures for the Texas centipedes, and be counted lucky. (595) 

DEFEATED YET TRIUMPHANT. 

There is a strong note in these words of Lord Byron which ought to make the blood beat 
quick in the veins of every earnest reformer who is fighting the battle of righttousness against 
odds. 

They never fail who die 
In a great cause. The block may soak their gore; 
Their heads may sodden in the sun ; their limbs 
Be strung to city gates and castle walls.; 
But still their spirit walks abroad. 

Though years 
Elapse and others share as dark a doom. 
They but augment the deep and sweeping thoughts 
Which overpower all others and conduct 
The world, at last, to freedam. (596) 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

DRIVING COMFORT AWAY. 

It is possibU to be so good a housekeeper that all the comfort goes out of the window and 
the house kept so spick and span in its neatness may be robbed of every element of home life 
and comfort. There is rather a grim little fiction going around which tells how the ghastly 
rider on the white Horse stopped at a certain gate. "I am Death," he said to the sick man who 
was watching from the window. "You're welcome," replied the latter, but added, in a scared 
whisper : "If you value your life don't let my wife see you tying your horse to that tree. She'd 
never let anybody do that." (S97) 

FORGETFULNESS. 

How many times when our deeds have caused sorrow, or our failing to do, has brought 
pain, our one excuse is "I forgot." The trouble is we forget the wrong things. The devil 
tries to make us cherish in keen remembrance every little slight toward ourselves, but 
makes us forget to say the tender words or voice the grateful appreciation which would be 
such an inspiration or comfort to others. Some one sings our thought with keen percep- 
tion: 

So many tender words and true 

We meant to say, dear love, to you; 

So many things we meant to do. 
But we forgot. 

The busy days were full of care ; 
The long night fell all unaware ; 
You passed beyond love's pleading prayer, 
While we forgot. 

Now evermore through heart and brain 
There breathes an undertone of pain ; 
Though what has been should be again, 
We would forget. 

We feel, we know, that there must be, 

Beyond the veil of mystery, 

Some place where love can clearly see. 

And not forget. (SpS) 

LOST IN SIGHT OF HOME. 

Two men perished on Mount Washington a few weeks ago with help close at hand. A 
sudden storm enveloped the mountain top and so blinded them that they lost the path. One 
of the men was within a very short distance of the hotel when he was overcome by cold and 
exhaustion and perished. It seems peculiarly hard that one should perish with welcome help 
so near. Yet such tragedies are occuring in the spiritual realm every day. Men are losing all 
that is worth living for, and perishing utterly with Christ's dear love within their reach. 

(599) 
249 



FRESH BAIT FOR 

THE SECRET OF THE LORD. 

There is a life which is hid with Christ in God, a precious fellowship only known by those 
who live in reverent communion with the Lord. May Agnew sings a most beautiful song 
about it in her poem entitled "Dwell Deep." 

In the depths of ocean's caves, 

Far away from sight or sound 
Of its restless throb and fret 

There are treasures to be found; 
Noble mountains near their heads. 

At their feet the mosses creep ; 
If their beauties you would scan 

You must dwell deep. 

So in God's most wondrous plan 

Ever this must be the sign, 
If you would the fullness know 

Of the mystery Divine- 
Life in death, and death in life, 

Peace amid life's storms to keep; 
This is the secret — learn it well — 

You must dwell deep. 

Care and trial, stripes and pain 

Are the ropes that let us down; 
But our Father holds them well 

And his peace our lives will crown. 
Worldlings take the surface show 

Then but dust and ashes reap; 
Would you win life's purest joy? 

You must dwell deep. 

Oh, the blessedness of rest 

In that quiet, calm retreat ! 
All unseen I haste me there 

When the stormy waters beat; 
And my Savior in his love 

Never fails his tryst to keep, 
And life's mystery makes clear, 

While I dwell deep. 

By the hand he leadeth me 

Where the leaves of healing grow ; 
And I drink the pure delight 

Of the living waters flow. 
Foretaste of that hour of bliss. 

When no more to wake or weep, 
He will raise to highest heights 

Those who dwell deep. 

250 



FISHERS OF MEN. 

Do you wonder, heart oppressed. 

Where he dwelleth? Come with me, 
In that quiet meeting-place 

Thy El Shadai waiteth thee; 
Rest in him, he will not fail. 

While earth's shadows round you creep, 
His almightiness to prove 

If you dwell deep. (600) 



^S^ 



DR. BANKS BOOKS. 




" There is no more 
distinguished e x - 
ample of the mod- 
ern people^ s preach- 
er in the American 
pulpit today than 
Dr. Banks." —The 
New York Indepen- 
dent. 

Therefore every 
minister should 
have one or more of 
these books in his 
library. 



Every one of Dr. Louis Albert Banks' books has been 
nthusiastically endorsed and recommended by the religious 
♦ress and pulpit of the country. We quote only a sentence, 
md in some cases, for want of space, nothing. 



Seven Books for the Young. 



Pv.st-p»id 



My Young Man 

Practical and straightforward talks to young 
men. 

The Christian Gentleman 

Bright and chatty talks to young men on pract- 
ical matters of every-day life. 

Sermon Stories for Boys and Girls i 

Hero Tales from Sacred Story I 

Eighteen stories of stirring heroism. It is the 
object to popularize the weaitn of stories found in 
the Bible and to clothe in modern dress ar.d 
language the Scripture tales so that they stand out 
revitalized, and as clear-cut appeals to nineteenth- 
oentury appreciation. Nineteen full-page, halt- 
tone reproductions of famous modern paintings or 
sculpture. 



An Oregon Boyhood- 
A Manly Boy (New) 



2^ 
75 



Eight Stirring Revivai Bool($. Sixteen Bool(s tor Everybody. 



TITLES 

John and His Friends 

This book contains thirty-three clear, straight, 
and forceful revival sermons, with texts from the 
Gospel of John. 

The Fisherman and His Friends . .- 

Containing studies from the life of Peter the 
Fisherman, in the form of thirty-one sermons, their 
subjects being strong, stimulating and novel in 
treatment, and the texts taken from the Gospels ot 
John, Mathew and the Acts. 

Paul and His FrIeniiS 

Thirty-one eloquent and vigorous revival sermons, 
richly freighted with suggestive and illustrative 
material. They unfold many fresh and striking 
facts relative to the life of Paul. 

Christ and His Friends 

Thirty-one stirring revival sermons (texts from 
St. John's Gospel,) simple and direct in style and 
wholly devoid of oratorical artifice, but rich in 
natural eloquence and soul-kindlijig fervor 

The Hevival Quiver 

Anecdotes and Morals 

Over five hundred striking illustrations drawn 
from every day incidents, each acco panied by a 
clear and forceful cliaracter lesson. Events which 
have occurred during the past few months have 
beetn ingeniously writteu into interesting little 
stories embrAcing truths which are sure to prove 
more attractive than mere platitudes. 

The Great Sinners f the Bible, (a series 
of sunday night revival sermons.) 
Just out 

David and His Friends (just out) 



Pbici, 
Po«t-p»M 

$1 50 



I 50 



I 50 



I 50 



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75 



The Saloon-keeper's Ledger $ 

Powerful temperance revival discourses dealing 
with every feature of the saloon evil. 

Seven Times Around Jericho 75 

Seven strong and stirring temperance discourses 
combining spiritual enthusiasm with perfectly 
rational reasoning. With an Introduction by 
C. H, Mead, D.D. 

The People's Christ (sermons.) i 35 

The White Slaves, (lectures on social 

problems.) - . = 150 

Common Folks' Religion, (sermons.)., i 50 

Honeycomb of Life, (sermons.) 1 50 

The Christ Dream (sermons.) 1:20 

The Christ Brotherhood, (sermons.). . . 1 jo 

Heroic Personalities, (heroic SKETCHES) i oe 

Heavenly Trade Winds, (sermons.) i 35 

The Unexpected Christ, (sermons.) 1 go 

Immortal Hymns and Their Story 3 00 

A Year's Prayer Meeting Talks, (just 

OUT.) ... I 00 

Twentieth Century Knighthood, (new) 75 

florals in Poetry and Story i 50 

JUST OUT 

Fresh Bait for Fishers of Men i 50 

A Book of 600 illustrations from current events, being 
up-to-date, their only appearance being in Curr t 
Anecdotes 



I 50 
I 50 



Any of these books sent, post paid, on receipt 
of price. No discount, prices net. 

F. M. BARTON, Publisher. 
Rose Building. CLEVELAND. O 



•♦ Favorite Texts of Famous People ** by Frederick Barton. 

The favorite Scripture texts of over 300 prominent persons in the world to-day are given, 
many giving incidents connected with their choice. Some two hundred texts that were 
important in the lives of 200 or more prominent persons of the past are given. The book 
is SK X 'jYz in. 275 pages, handsomely bound. Commended by all who have examined it. 
$1.25. 

«* Missionary Annals of the Nineteenth Century." 

By D. L. Leonard associate editor Missionary Review of the world. "The book as a 
whole will be an important reference book." Sunday-School Times. Also commended by 
the Christian Endeavor World, Gospel in all Lands, and many denominational papers. 
This is the book of the century on missions. It is 5^ x 7>^ in. 285 pages, illustrated. 
Calf, $2.00 Cloth, $1.50. 

<* Fifty Sermons and Short Talks by D. L. Moody." 

First edition Jan. 15, 2,500, second edition Feb. 15, 2000. These are Mr. Moody's most 
characteristic sermons and are not made up from newspaper reports. Nearly 500 in- 
cidents and anecdotes indexed. Contains 180,000 words. 5)^ x 7>^ in. 320 pages. Cloth, 
$1.00. 

«* Lives of Church Leaders." 

Edited by Ferdinand Piper, University of Berlin, and translated into English, and edited 
with additional lives by American writers by Henry MitchellMcCracken, D.D. Chancellor 
of N. Y. University. 6x9 in. 873 pages, 125 biographies, 1,000 illustrative incidents in- 
dexed. Advance orders received daily. Covers all denominations. Price $3.00. Former 
price was $4.50. 

«* The Minister Himself." 

By Charles Sheard, D.D. A rare book for young ministers and will find a welcome 
among older on6s. Those who have read it, say it is really interesting and exceed- 
ingly valuable reading. N. Y. Christian Advocate July 19, and the Outlook, Sept.i, com- 
mend is highly. Endorsed by bishops and theological professors. 5>^x7^ in. 260 
pages, Price $1.50. 

♦♦Synthetic Bible Studies" or Thro, the Bible in a Year. 

By James M. Gray, D.D. In compliance with many request these studies have been pub- 
lished in book form. Among the requests is one from Addison P. Foster, secretary 
American Sunday School Union for New England, These lesson delivered verbally 
have interested classes containing over 1,000 persons, and were followed, when published 
in the Union Gospel News by upwards of 50,000 persons. 6x9 in. double column, 200 
pages, 200,000 words. Price $1.50, 



"Present Day Parables," 

By J. William Chapman author of a number of books on the higher life. Present Day 
Parables is a rare collection of clear cut, spiritual, truth-illuminating illustrations 
incidents and short expositions of Scripture. In addition to those prepared by Dr. Chap- 
man, he has included some gems from men of power in preaching. 

J. Robertson, C. H. Spurgeon, J. R. Miller, 

A. Maclaren, D. L. Moody, B. F. M. 

The book contains some 400 illustrations, and is indexed for subjects and Scripture texts 
and will contain more than 250 pages 7^ in. x $)4 in. iX in. thick. $1.50. 

Chats with Young Christians. 

By Louis Albert Banks, D.D. Very favorably reviewed by Christian Endeavor 
World and Epworth Hearld. Commended by ministers and papers of all denomi- 
nations. Second edition. 3^^ x 4^. 92 pages, 40 cents. 

Spark. A Beautiful Gift Book, 

By Florence Stratton Weaver. Sunday School Times and Baltimore Sun, say its 
good: A cute little story for children, including Frances Ridley Havergal's "Little Pil- 
lows." 4x5^ in. 115 pages, 40 cents. 

SENT POST PAID ON RECEIPT OF PRICE 

F. M. BARTON, Publisher. Rose Building, Cleveland, O. 

P, S. —I have facilities for obtaining any book you wish, sending it to you postpaid, and giving discount wherever 
it is possible. 



SEP 11 1900 



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